


Pokemon Legendary Adventures

by Cliffjumper



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24011518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cliffjumper/pseuds/Cliffjumper
Summary: Like any trainer, Koa has dreams of greatness. However, his don't involve fantasies of becoming Champion. No, Koa has another dream. He will be the first trainer to capture and train a legendary Pokemon. But doing battle with a god is no easy task. Fortunately, he has a Perfect Plan to become strong. Unfortunately, fate has other plans. When Koa ends up with an over-eager but loyal Zubat as his starter, everything begins to change. He is forced to confront his beliefs about what it means to be truly strong. Only by discovering the true meaning of strength will he have even a chance at accomplishing his dreams.





	1. The Plan

**Welcome to my new Pokemon fanfic! This is a rewrite of previous fic that I had on FF.net, New Horizons. I changed a lot about it, and am taking it in a new direction. This story will be a blend of the games and anime, with a hint of manga and a bit of my own personal flair.**

**I’ve also written a huge portion of the story already. This means I will be able to update fairly regularly, as I edit new chapters. I have a posting schedule worked out, and I will be building up to posting either weekly or bi-weekly.**

**If anyone has any questions, feel free to leave a comment or review. I’ll try my best to answer them. That said, enjoy!**

* * *

_Just one week left._ Koa crossed off today’s date on his wall calendar. He flipped to next month’s page, June. The 3rd was circled in red, along with a message from his cousin that read “Don’t slack little K.” Koa rolled his eyes at the nickname. In just one week he turned 14, which was the minimum age to apply for a trainers license in Sinnoh. 

He glanced down at his watch. 6:05. Time to get dressed. He pulled on green cargo pants, boots and a black t-shirt. Then he grabbed a jacket off a chair. The sturdy material had served him well, but the wear had begun to show. It was worn in many places, and sported its fair share of patches. He gave his room a final cursory glance, then grabbed his backpack of a chair and jogged downstairs.

The faint murmur of the tv echoed through the living room. His cousin was sprawled on the couch in front of it, fast asleep. He walked over and shook him awake. “Hey Blake, I’m going out.”

Blake grunted and sat up, yawning. “Good morning to you too, Koa. You can take Absol with you. He needs the exercise.” Putting his fingers to his lips, he whistled. Toenails clicking on wood floors echoed through the quiet room and an Absol emerged from a hallway. When he spotted Koa, he trotted over and nuzzled his hand. Koa rubbed the pokemon’s head affectionately.   
“Nice to see you too. Ready for a little exercise?”

Absol barked eagerly.

“You’re never that happy to see me...” Blake muttered to the Absol, his tone playfully bitter. Absol sniffed and turned his back on Blake before walking towards the door. Koa grinned and followed. Blake sat up. “Oh! I nearly forgot. Be back by 8:30.”

“Why?” 

“Because I said so.” Blake replied, smirking. The smirk changed to a friendly smile. “It’s a surprise.”

Koa nodded in acknowledgement and hurried out the door. There was little point in trying to pry any more information out of Blake. He was too stubborn to give out anything.

“Hey!” His cousin called sharply. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Koa paused, his hand on the door handle and cringed. “What?”

Blake left the room a moment and came back holding a great ball in one hand and a baton in the other. “Tsk tsk. You should always carry your pokemon’s pokeball with you. And something to defend yourself.”

Koa rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah.” His cousin tended to be over paranoid, in his opinion. Most pokemon wouldn’t attack humans or seriously harm them. Only the most angry or territorial pokemon would. And even then, humans were tough. He tucked Absol’s pokeball into his pocket. 

A rush of salty air greeted him as he stepped outside. Closing the door behind him, he drew in a deep breath of familiar ocean air. The tall buildings of his hometown, Canalave, rose all around him. A sense of familiarity flowed through him as he began his usual routine, starting with a few basic warm-ups. 

As he did, a flock of pidgey and starly landed not far away and watched him expectantly. He grinned and waved, then pulled out the pack of seeds he always kept with him, tossing them a few. The birds descended upon them, eagerly pecking them up. They shrieked a thank you before flying off. 

Once he finished stretching, he broke into a jog, heading north. Absol bounded alongside him, keeping pace easily. He took a route through the city taking time to take in the sights of his home. It wouldn’t be long before he had his trainers license and he could start his journey. There was a good chance he might not return to Canalave for a long time. 

In between houses, he could catch glimpses of the two large wooden bridges that spanned the town, dividing its two main districts. The west half was primarily housing, while the eastern was composed mostly of businesses. The only things of note on the west half was the library and the gym.

Eventually he broke away from the houses, following a path through a small wooded area. The trees gave way to sand and then to beach. The waves crashed on the shore and a strong breeze whipped through his hair. Ahead, far in the distance, bright ships of different sizes and colors dotted the port.

As he jogged east across the beach, Absol sprinted forwards, scaring a flock of wingull. They squawked and flew inland, over the town. He watched as they settled on a two-story building at the edge of the beach. Its gray stone walls stood in contrast to the firm, light-colored wooden buildings surrounding it. Arched windows lined its walls, offering a glimpse at what lay inside-rows and rows of books. Even the mere sight of it made Koa’s heart soar. The library was his favorite place in the entire city. He’d spent countless hours inside its walls, reading everything he could about his favorite topic. Legendaries.

Koa headed back inland, continuing his route. He left the city through the west gate and followed a worn dirt path into the woods. The sparse trees quickly thickened until the path was nearly invisible, and his surroundings darkened, the faint dawn light barely penetrating the leafy canopy. Absol darted in and out of the trees, moving like a shadow.

Despite the lack of distinct markers, he jogged swiftly through the brush navigating with an ease born of familiarity. Finally, he stopped in front of a tree that was taller than the others. Root like vines wrapped around its trunk and spiraled upwards, forming a web-like tangle near the crown of the tree. Absol stopped at the tree's base, then stretched and yawned, curling up for a quick nap.

“Don’t get too comfy,” he declared with a grin. Dropping his backpack onto the ground, he held up his watch and switched it to the stopwatch mode, then pressed the start button. Taking a half step back, he lunged forwards and grabbed hold of the tree, securing his feet against one of the vines. Then he began to climb. He moved swiftly as he could, taking care to secure his hold before moving upwards. No need for a repeat of last month’s accident. If he got injured now, he might have to postpone getting his trainer's license. 

As he climbed, he recited his Plan. Luxray, Gyrados. He scrambled over a branch, pulling himself higher. Staraptor, Nidoking. He lunged to the next handhold. Tyrogue. With a final heave, he pulled himself into a spot at the crown of the tree. Garchomp. Whipping out his stopwatch, he hit pause. 1:47. 

“Woohoo!”

A startled Hoot Hoot glared reproachfully at him before flying away. The Trainer’s License exam featured a rock wall that he had to climb in 3:00 or under. It wasn’t hard at all, but he wanted to push himself. While a lot of trainers he spoke to dreamed of challenging the League, he had an entirely different goal. He dreamed of becoming an explorer, searching out the mysteries of the world and hopefully, meeting legendaries. If he could climb a tree in less time, he was sure to pass that part. Sighing, he leaned back in the tree and closed his eyes, giving his aching limbs a rest. He could picture his team in his head already. His perfect team. 

Any trainers beginning their journey had a few options available to them. There were training courses in the various schools in the area, and if one completed the course, they would be awarded a Pokemon. The other option was receiving one of the traditional starters from Professor Rowan. But the usual three starters didn’t interest him, not really. He wanted the third option - taking a few pokeballs into the wild, and catching something weak, and raising it. His thoughts traveled back to his Perfect Team.

Excellent coverage for most types, as well as checks and balances. Luxray would be first of course. Shinx weren’t too hard to find, and even though he wouldn’t have an immediate type advantage, they were powerful pokemon, and excellent in battle. Then he would catch a Tyrogue. They weren’t common, but with some searching, he was sure he could get one. They would also give him an early advantage. Then he could get a Starly to help with grass types. From there, he would eventually get a Nidoking, a Gyarados and finally, a Garchomp. They would be perfect. And perhaps, if he was lucky, he could find a fossil pokemon. With a strong team backing him, he would be able to explore anywhere. And challenger anything.

Beyond that, he hadn’t considered catching more Pokemon. Trainers who caught more than six Pokemon would have their Pokemon sent to one of many Pokemon Ranches, or to a Professor. Either that, or a trainer could be registered to a PC system. Science wasn’t one of his interests, so he had no idea how it worked, but he knew the gist. PC’s served as a ‘digital space’ in which Pokemon could roam about and relax freely until they were recalled. Much like a Pokeball, he knew it acted as a sort of stasis as well, so injured Pokemon would be just fine. Regardless, he wasn’t really interested yet in trying to train more than six Pokemon.

After several minutes, he sat up, then shimmied down the tree. If he wanted to make it home in time for whatever Blake had planned, he had to leave now.

By the time he reached Canalave’s west gate, the sun had risen well above the horizon. He glanced down at his watch. 8:19. _Not bad._

As he approached his house, he spotted his cousin standing outside, waiting. Absol trotted to Blake’s side and sat down.

Blake waved. “How’d the training go?” 

Koa grinned, the memory of his earlier triumph still fresh in his mind. “Great! I beat my time. I think I’m ready.”

Blake grinned proudly. “Good job. I hope you’re not too tired though.”

“Why? What did you need me to do?”

“I have a few books and some research notes I want you to take to Professor Rowan. I was going to just mail it, but I figured you’d like the chance to see him again. He’s going to be in Jubilife City this week for a special teaching session at the Trainer’s School.” He gestured to his bike, which leaned against the side of the house. “You can borrow my bike to get there. It’ll cut down your travel time.”

Koa’s grin grew as his cousin spoke. “Sick!” he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Professor Rowan was a close friend of his cousin, who was a Pokemon researcher. He’d met the Professor a few years back, and immediately grew close to him. It seemed as if Rowan had a never-ending wealth of knowledge, and with his help, he’d learned a great deal about pokemon.

“Thanks cousin!” 

“Be careful with that bike. They aren’t cheap you know,” Blake said. “Take route 218 straight there. I’m guessing you already have enough basic supplies in your backpack?”

Koa nodded impatiently. Ever since he started training for the trainer’s exam, he got in the habit of keeping a backpack of necessities- first aid kit, map, a knife, clothing, a sleeping bag, and rope. Not to mention the baton he always kept at his side, although he abhorred the thought of having to use it. “Of course. Besides, this is a quick three-day trip, not a wilderness excursion.” 

“Good. You should be able to make it there by the morning after tomorrow if you keep a steady pace. I recommended resting at the Ranger’s Lodge before you cross the bridge. It’s not a good idea to cross the bridge after dark. You can get supplies there too. There’s another lodge on the west side that-”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I know how to travel dude.” Koa swung his leg over the bike. 

Blake handed Koa a paper bag. “I packed you lunch.” 

Koa took the bag, stuffing it into his backpack. “Anything else, mom?”

Blake rolled his eyes and returned Absol. He handed the ball to Koa. “You can take Absol, but no battles! He’s there for protection only, got it? Last thing I need is a call from Officer Jenny about an unlicensed trainer using _my_ pokemon in an illegal battle.”

“Okay already. I get it,” he took the ball and clipped it to his belt. “Are you done? Can I go now?”

Blake sighed. “Yes, that’s all I guess. Please at least _try_ not to be too reckless.”

Koa rolled his eyes and nodded, then pushed off and started pedaling. 

He zoomed out of Canalave, exiting the city in less than an hour, taking the east gate. 

Once he left the city, he slowed down to a more steady, even pace. Jubilife was close compared to the distance between other towns, but even by bike it would take a little less than three days. Thankfully Route 218 was fairly straightforward. 

The first leg of the journey consisted of a packed dirt road that ran through a massive field. In the distance, patches of trees rose all around. The Verity ocean stretched out to his left. Beautifly danced about through the tall grass and pidgey and taillow flew high overhead, along with other bird pokemon. To his right, and south of Canalave, he could see the untamed wilds of the Ore mountains. He hadn’t told his cousin yet, but they were first on his list of places to go once he was officially a trainer. Many explorers delved into those mountains and found fossils of rare and powerful pokemon. He fully intended to join their ranks. A fossil pokemon would be an excellent addition to his team, eventually. Although he still hadn’t decided how he wanted to fit one into his plan.

As the sun neared its midpoint in the sky, he stopped for a bit to let Absol out and get a quick snack. There wasn’t time for a proper meal, plus it was hot and he didn’t want to stay still for too long. Within five minutes, Absol was back in his ball and Koa was back on the road. There was a lot of ground to cover still.

By the time the sun began to set, he had nearly reached the West Inlet Ranger Outpost, a small outpost manned by Pokemon Rangers. The outposts were a common sight in the wilderness and on routes. They acted as a rest stop for weary travelers and as an emergency healing center. This one was just west of a large inlet, which was spanned by a series of bridges and boardwalks. He paused outside the ranger outpost, a plain log cabin looking building surrounded by a tall fence. A Ranger guard stood outside, a Mightyena curled at his feet. 

A sigh of relief escaped him. The Outpost meant the first leg of his journey was over. As he approached the gate, the ranger held out his hand, barring him. “ID please.”

Koa pulled out his ID. The Ranger examined it closely, then handed it back with a nod. “Be careful. There have been reports of people getting mugged at night.”

Koa nodded in acknowledgment and headed inside. A short time later, he settled into a room, eating dinner with Absol. 

The next morning, Koa awoke early. He purchased some food from the Ranger cafe, then set out. The next part of the journey would be slightly more challenging. It consisted of several bridges spanning the inlet and a marshy area. Unlike yesterday, time seemed to crawl by. He passed by several trainers, and a few even challenged him, but he was forced to refuse. If he was caught, he would be prohibited from getting his trainer’s license. Last time, the police hadn’t pressed charges but he doubted he would be so lucky if he did it again. Even though anyone was allowed to carry a pokemon, only licensed trainers could participate in battles, or try for the gym circuit.

Bridge after bridge he crossed, until he zoned out, gazing at the horizon, his eyes unfocused. The sun inched across the sky. 1:00. 2:19. 3:41. 5:56. 7:03.

“Move!” 

Koa snapped back to reality. A black and white blur hurtled towards him. His hair stood on end and the air crackled. He swerved sharply to the right, skidding on the wooden bridge. His bike spun out of control and tipped, sending him sprawling onto the bridge, rolling to the edge. The blur passed by, accompanied by hoofbeats on wood.

“Hey watch it you moron!” Koa screamed. He scrambled to his feet, but he only managed to catch a glimpse of the person. They wore a dark hooded cloak and rode upon a Zebstrika, which explained the speed and electricity.

Koa sprang onto his bike and started pedaling, but his legs were no match for a Zebstrika. Within seconds they had disappeared over a rise in the road Still, he kept going for several minutes, fueled by anger. Eventually, he stopped, breathing heavily. His heart hammered and his damp shirt clung to his body.

“Argh! Stupid idiot almost killed me!” he shouted. He slammed his fist into the handlebars clenching his jaw. For a few minutes he didn’t move, still fuming with indignation. Finally. He turned around and started pedaling south again. This time, his pace was slower. By the time he reached the Southern Inlet Ranger outpost, he was a good hour behind schedule. 

Dinner was a quick affair. After, he released Absol and turned in for the night. His thoughts turned on the stranger on the Zebstrika for some time. The rider had been dressed strangely compared to people in this area. Where had he been going in such a hurry? Perhaps he was one of those muggers the ranger had mentioned? Or just a foolish trainer. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he skipped a large breakfast in favor of getting on the road sooner. The final leg of the journey would be easy. A straight, hard packed dirt road through a small forest, and at its end, the gates to Jubilife. The sun had just begun to rise as he started biking down the road. Ahead, he could see a small forest stretching out before him. On the other side, Jubilife awaited him. He hastened his pace, eager to reach the town and rest and get a proper meal. 

As he entered the woods, a loud shriek sounded from somewhere ahead and to his right. Koa paused. The sound came again. It sounded like a pokemon in distress. Curious, Koa dropped his bike and hurried into the woods.

A faint trail wound through the woods a short distance, leading to a tiny clearing with a single tree. Unlike the rest of the trees in the area, this one's leaves were a golden yellow, and a sticky coating covered the trunk. A honey tree. He knew there was one near Jubilife, and he wasn’t exactly surprised to find another. 

At the edge of the clearing, a small Zubat lay, stunned. A wave of pity washed over him at the sight of the poor creature. He knelt next to it and pulled out a potion from his bag and sprayed the Zubat. After a few moments, it fluttered to life, emitting a happy shriek. Judging by the size of its fangs, it was male. He wondered what he was doing all the way out here. Zubat and Golbat tended to stick to colonies. Usually, they lived in caves, although some lived in forests or in cities. This one also didn't seem as bothered by sunlight as other members of its species. 

The Zubat started to flutter towards the honey tree, but a warning cry from its branches made him pause. The purple head of an aipom poked out and glared at the Zubat. He guessed the aipom had claimed the tree as its own. He knew the monkey pokemon were fairly fond of honey. Judging by the condition Zubat had been in, he guessed it tried to get some and got attacked for it. 

“Huh, I guess you wanted some honey?” Koa mused out loud. He’d never known Zubat to be lovers of honey, but there were always exceptions, he supposed. The Zubat chittered and nodded its head. Koa turned back towards the tree.

“How about it, Aipom? I’m sure Zubat doesn’t want the whole tree, right Zubat?” The Zubat nodded emphatically. The Aipom eyed Koa and the Zubat for a moment, then nodded. With a grateful squeak, Zubat landed on the tree, gratefully licking the honey off. 

Koa shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips at the comical sight. After watching for another moment, he returned to the road. He still had a fair way to go until Jubilife, and he wanted to reach it before nightfall.

Before long, he could see the highrises of Jubilife City on the horizon. A little while later, he made his way through the gate and into the city. Once he was there, he stopped at the local police station to report the man on the Zebstrika, then he headed for the school. Much to his disappointment, he didn’t get to spend much time with professor Rowan. After finishing his teaching, he had to leave almost immediately for his lab in Sandgem. Koa only got a minute to speak with him before he left.

“So how is the training going?”

“Great!” Koa replied enthusiastically. “I’m ready for the exam, I think. And I even have my whole team planned out,” he added proudly.

Rowan frowned. Or at least his normally stern face got slightly more stern. “Planning ahead is good, but remember not to limit yourself. Unexpected occurrences always happen during a trainer’s journey.”

“I know,” Koa said, trying to hide the impatience in his voice. He didn’t really mind surprises, but he didn’t want his team to be one.

Rowan nodded and stroked his beard briefly. “I have to get back to my lab, but keep your phone with you once you start your journey. I may need your help with a project of mine soon.”

Koa’s eyes lit up. “What project?” he asked eagerly. 

“You’ll have to have some patience, my boy.” Rowan said. Koa knew that tone of voice all too well. Try as he might, he wouldn’t get any more information from him. Rowan was more stubborn than a rock. 

“One more thing, young man.”

“Yes?”

“Make sure you stop by the lab once you get your license. Your cousin and I have something for you that we’ve been working on.”

Koa’s eyes widened. He longed to know what it was, but he felt certain neither Rowan or his cousin would spill a word of whatever his surprises were.

He bid the professor goodbye. He spent the night in Jubilife, even though it was only early evening. 

The next day, he started on his return journey. The trip back proved mostly uneventful. At least until the final leg of the journey. Thanks to oversleeping at one point, he found himself on the final stretch of Route 218 in the very late evening. The last colors of dusk were fading from the sky, and he could just barely make out stars. He figured he had about an hour's worth of biking to get back to Canalave. Normally, traveling after dark was dangerous, but he had Absol for protection, so he wasn’t very worried. Plus, 218 was usually a fairly safe route. 

His thoughts drifted as he biked down the final stretch. The sky gradually darkened more and the moon began to rise. He didn’t see the dark shape in front of him until it was too late. Koa cried out in shock as he crashed into something, the impact sending him flying off his bike. Behind him, a low growl arose. He rolled to his feet just in time to see a very angry Mightyena glaring at him. Slowly, he raised his hand in a pacifying gesture.

“Easy boy. I’m sorry, it was an accident. I didn’t mean to run into you.”

Apparently, the Mightyena didn’t care for his apology. It snarled in anger and took a step towards him. Koa reached for Absol’s pokeball.

The rogue mightyena lunged forwards, knocking the ball out of his hand. It rolled several yards away. The mightyena snarled, prowling in between him and the ball. Koa gulped. His heart beat a little faster and he stared anxiously at the pokeball.

“Easy buddy. I don’t want to hurt you,” he spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster, and held his hands out. The Mightyena growled louder and took a step towards him. Koa hesitantly reached for the baton clipped at his side. The Mightyena lunged for him. Koa dove to the ground, rolling away from it. He scrambled to his feet, still eyeing Absol’s pokeball. Mightyena remained between him and the pokeball, much to Koa’s annoyance.

Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched screech from above assaulted his ears. The Mightyena whimpered and folded its ears. Koa looked up, towards the source of the sound. Several feet above, a small Zubat hovered in the air. It screeched again, then dived at the Mightyena. The Mightyena leaped away, then glared at the Zubat, as if contemplating attacking. Apparently deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble, it gave a single bark, then darted back into the woods. 

Not wanting to lose his opportunity, Koa grabbed Absol’s pokeball and picked up his bike. He glanced up again, but the Zubat had disappeared. He frowned in thought. That was odd. Singular Zubat didn’t tend to be aggressive. Why would one attack a Mightyena out of the blue? As he got back on his bike and continued his trip home, he contemplated the Zubat. Could it have been the one from the honey tree? He quickly dismissed the thought. There were hundreds of Zubat in the world. Perhaps this was just the Pokemon gods smiling upon him. Either way, he was grateful not to have to use his baton, even for defense.

*****

The next several days alternated between dragging by and flying by, which was aggravating. He distracted himself with his job at the local pokemart, saving as much extra cash before he began his training journey. Finally, the day of the trainer’s exam arrived. Much to his annoyance, he woke up a half-hour later than he preferred. So much for a morning warm-up. 

Thankfully, he didn’t plan on leaving until after the exam. He’d have a chance to stop back by Canalave before he left. His cousin was awake and waiting for him already. The closest exam center was in Jubilife, which meant they would have to take a special bus there. The bus let them out at the gates to Jubilife, and his cousin walked with him the rest of the way. They stopped in front of a large, squarish building with a massive domed roof. Bold letters above the doors spelled out ‘DTL’ and in smaller letters beneath it read “Department of Trainer Licensing.’ Koa started for the double doors.

“Good luck little K,” his cousin called.

“Oh please. I got this. Luck is for losers!” Koa replied, smirking.

“That’s why I offered it.”

Koa’s smirk disappeared and he shot Blake a scathing glare. After a moment, he smiled. “Not bad, I’ll give you that.” Koa turned and headed inside. Several soon-to-be trainers milled about inside, most around his age or a little older. Some were chatting, while others showed off pokemon they had gotten. He brushed by them, heading straight for the front desk. A young lady with straight black hair, pale skin and a serious face sat behind the counter, staring blankly ahead.

“I’d like to register for the Trainer’s License exam,” he said.

The lady looked at him, then down at her computer. “Name?”

“Koamaru Averon.”

“Age?”

“14,” he replied. It felt good to finally say it.

She took another look at him then typed in some more information, murmuring to herself as she did. “Eyes, brown... skin, light. Hair dark navy.” She looked back up at him. 

“Height?” 

“Five foot six.”

“Hometown?”

“Canalave City.”

She finished typing, then looked up at him. “You’re all set.” She slid a slip of paper over the counter towards him. “Here’s your exam pass. The first part will begin in five minutes. Please wait in the lobby.” 

Koa stood off to the side, looking at his prospective competition. Although he wasn’t directly competing against them, any one of them might be the next gym leader or perhaps even champion, further along the line. One boy stood out from the rest. He wore a dark purple cape over a black vest. He had neatly trimmed black hair, and dark green eyes. _What kind of outfit is that?_ He thought. Sure, a lot of trainers tended to like weird outfits, but a cape? That seemed pretty extra.

He let his attention drift as he mentally prepared himself for what lay ahead. The exam consisted of three parts. A test of physical prowess, tests of knowledge about the pokemon world, and finally, a simulated battle. The physical test and knowledge test he knew well, but he was slightly less certain about the battle test. You never knew what pokemon you would get, or what opponent you would face. On the bright side, they weren’t required to win, merely demonstrate their skills.

A door beside the registration desk slid open and a man with graying brown hair and a clipboard stepped out. “My name is Fyren, and I’ll be your head instructor today. The Trainer’s License Exam will begin now. Please follow me.”

Koa hurried after him, the rest of the potential trainers following suit. They were led first into a large gym area with a running course, a rock wall and hurdles. One by one, each trainer ran a lap around the course, jumped the hurdles and climbed the rock wall as fast as they could. After each trainer completed the course, the man wrote something on his clipboard and motioned for the next trainer. Soon, it was Koa’s turn. He sprinted through the course with ease, scaling the wall in well under two minutes. The caped boy went after him, and practically seemed to glide up the rock wall. A twinge of jealousy flowed through him. A few of the other trainers struggled, either knocking down hurdles or falling off the wall. 

After everyone had completed the physical, they followed Fyren to a large classroom. Everyone took a seat and he handed out test papers. The test consisted of a mix of questions, ranging from pokemon types, to species names, and item knowledge. Koa flew through the quiz, though he couldn’t help but note that a few other trainers handed theirs in first. The caped trainer from earlier handed in his test a few minutes before he did.

Finally, the battle test came. They were led into a huge room with three battlefields outlined in the dirt. “Three of you will be tested at once. You will each receive a random pokemon, as will the instructors. You will battle against the instructor until one of your pokemon faints. Remember, this is a test of battle competency. Victory is not required.” 

Fyren divided everyone into three lines. Koa ended up second in a group of four, while the caped boy ended up in a different group. He soon forgot about him, however, as the battles began. The girl in front of him, who had teal curls and yellow blouse and skirt, received a Vaporeon, and the instructor an Ekans. The girl won without too much difficulty, although Koa noted that the instructor was fairly skilled. He had a knack for understanding the Ekans movements and working with him.

Finally, his turn arrived. As the instructor called his name, he stepped onto the battlefield. There was a faint flicker as the invisible barrier around the field was turned on. An attendant selected a pokeball from a case and handed it to him, then handed one to the instructor.

The instructor sent out his pokemon first. A dark greenish-blue eel pokemon with a light underbelly and two flowing arms hovered, ready to attack. It took a moment before he recognized it as an Eelektross. 

He tossed out his own pokeball, revealing a Hippopotas. “Aw yeah, I got this! We’re gonna own this, Hippopotas!” Hippopotas gave an enthusiastic grunt. The attendant gave him a card with Hippopotas’ moveset. Earthquake, Sand Attack, Crunch, Sand tomb. Perfect. Eelektross was an electric type, that much he remembered. This should be a cinch. 

“Battle, begin!” The announcer called.

“Hippopotas, use sand attack!” Hippopotas jumped forwards and shot a stream of sand from its mouth. It struck Eelektross full on, causing it to stumble back and hiss.

“Crush Claw,” the instructor called.

“Wait til it's close and use Sand Attack again!”

Eelektross’s claws glowed bright blue and it sprang into the air, arcing straight down. A moment later, Hippopotas launched Sand Attack. Eelektross reeled back, Crush Claw missing entirely. Eelektross backed away a short distance.

“Let’s finish this! Earthquake!” Hippopotas eyes glowed blue, and waves of energy rippled through the earth, straight towards Eelektross. The instructor said nothing, and gave no commands. The waves reached Eelektross and passed right under, fading away. Eelektross didn’t even flinch.

“What!?” Koa shouted. Hippopotas gave a matching cry of shock.

“Now Eelektross, Grass Knot!” Eelektross’s eyes glowed green, and tendrils of grass sprouted from the earth, yanking Hippopotas feet from underneath him and knocking him onto his side.

“No, get up!” Koa cried. Hippopotas squirmed and struggled.

“Aqua Tail!”

“Dodge!” Koa shouted in panic. 

Eelektross sprang high into the air, a vortex of water swirling around its tail. Then it brought its tail down on top of Hippopotas. A burst of energy kicked up a cloud of dust. It settled moments later, showing Hippopotas fainted. Eelektross raised its claws in the air and growled happily. 

Koa’s shoulders drooped and he hung his head. He returned Hippopotas to his pokeball, thanked him, then returned the ball to the attendant. The instructor walked over to him. “Never assume, young man. Eelektross has a special ability known as Levitate, which causes ground attacks like Earthquake to miss. And although type advantages can win a battle, don’t forget that a skilled trainer must also account for his partners weaknesses.”

Koa nodded. “Thanks,” he mumbled. He turned away and joined the rest of the trainers who completed their battle. To his disappointment, he’d missed the caped boy’s battle. He couldn’t find the heart to get interested in the other battles. What if they failed him on his exam? He’d have to wait another month to try again. Just the thought made him anxious.

After all the battles had been completed, the instructor led them to a large assembly hall with a seating area and a stage. Koa sat with the other trainers in the reserved seating row, his hands clenched into tight fists. This would be it. They would call up the trainers who had made it, and present them with their license. Fyren stepped onto the stage, holding his clipboard. “I will now announce the trainers who will receive their license.”

“Edgar Fennel.” A stocky blond boy bounded onto the stage. Fyren handed him a card, then posed for a picture before leaving the stage. 

One by one, more trainers were called out.

“Hilgar.”

“Lyra.”

“Geoff.”

“Cade.” The caped boy strode confidently on stage and received his license. A moment later, he left the stage and hurried out of the hall. With each name that wasn’t his, Koa became more worried, jittering his leg and tapping his fingers.

“Koamaru Averon.”

Koa literally leaped out of his chair, barely holding back his exclamation. He ran onto stage, grinning widely as Fyren handed him his license, along with a simple Pokeball belt. Finally. He could be a proper trainer. As soon as he was able, he raced out of the building. As soon as he stepped outside, he jumped in the air and shouted. He spotted Blake a few feet away, smiling proudly. 

“Good job little K. Keep this up and maybe I’ll have to start calling you big K,” Blake said, chuckling. Koa rolled his eyes. 

“I have a gift for you, by the way.” Blake reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box.

Koa’s eyes widened when he saw the picture on the front. “A Poketch?” he stammered. “Thank you!” he hugged his cousin, then stepped back to examine his new prize. He tore it out of the box and put it on. It booted up flawlessly. He’d wanted a Poketch for months now, and planned to buy one after he started his journey. Now he could save his money for something else.

“So what now? Are you going to head straight for Professor Rowan’s lab? I know he mentioned having you stop by once you got your license.” 

Blake’s eyes looked far away, and despite his upbeat tone, Koa knew better. He shook his head. “I’ll take the bus back to Canalave with you. I have a few supplies to pick up, and I’d love to visit the library one last time.” Technically, it was true. He did want to see the library before he left, and he could always stock up before he left. Of course, he didn’t bother mentioning that he had everything he needed to set out on his journey now. He knew Blake would miss him, and even though he wouldn’t admit it, Koa would miss Blake.

***

The sky had begun to darken by the time they reached Canalave. Koa visited the library before it closed that evening, then purchased a few extra potions and pokeballs from the Pokemart. He bid farewell to his coworkers at the shop, then returned home for the evening. As he lay in bed that night, he silently marveled at the fact that his pokemon journey would begin tomorrow, for real. He would travel to Sandgem, and soon, catch his first pokemon. Thoughts of his perfect team floated through his mind as he finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Koa awoke bright and early. He checked his bag again, making sure it had all his supplies - plenty of pokeballs from the shop, as well as a few potions and his usual supplies of clothes, a sleeping bag, and a small pocket knife. Once his backpack was ready, he logged onto his computer for what might be his last time. With a few clicks, he logged into his favorite website, a forum for legendary sightings. Skimming the list, he scrolled until he found the listing for Sinnoh pokemon. He didn’t expect to see anything - Sinnoh didn’t feature many roaming legendaries like Kanto or Johto did, but it was always worth a check. To his surprise, there was one new addition to the forum.

_Potential Regirock sighting at Ore Caverns?!_

Koa eagerly clicked it. He skimmed the information. A trainer had posted a blurred photo of what appeared to be a Regirock. The silhouette definitely looked like a Regi, although the trainer also admitted she only caught a glimpse and was uncertain if it really had been the legendary titan.

Koa sat back for a moment, contemplating. The Ore Caverns lay within a small mountain range directly south of Canalave. If he left now, he could be there by the afternoon. Of course, it would mean getting to Sandgem much later. Although he could always trek straight through the wilderness and get to Sandgem. He grinned and nodded to himself. It was decided. He would take a quick detour to the caverns, then head Southeast and cut through the wilderness to Sandgem.

Grabbing his backpack, Koa sprinted downstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Blake was waiting downstairs for him, his hands behind his back. “I was wondering when you were going to come down. I have something for you. Two somethings, actually.” Taking his hands from behind his back, he held up a brand new leather jacket. It was red and dark navy blue, with white highlights. The elbows were reinforced and it sported multiple pockets.

“Sick!” Koa quickly took it, eagerly discarding his worn jacket and putting on the new one. It fit perfectly, snug, but still flexible. The inside material was pleasantly soft yet breathable, and the outside felt surprisingly tough. It would serve him well on his travels.

Blake then pulled an object out of his pocket. It was a pokeball, but unlike a regular pokeball, this one was black with red and gold striping.

“Wow, a Luxury ball!” He took it almost reverently. While not as expensive as an Ultra ball, they weren’t exactly cheap either. He slipped it into his pocket. “Thanks Blake.” He gave his cousin a quick hug. His cousin gripped him tightly, and for a moment, Koa couldn’t escape the embrace. After a long second, Blake released him.

“You better be careful out there, Little K.”

Koa nodded. “I will.”

Blake ruffled his hair, but Koa didn’t pull away. This was the last time his cousin would ruffle his hair for a long time. “And check in once you get to Sandgem.”

Koa nodded again. He didn’t bother to mention his little detour. If his cousin found he went exploring in a cave without any pokemon, he would probably be furious.

****

“Sorry, no one is allowed past this point without a Trainers License and at least two badges.” Two guards blocked the cave entrance, barring the path forwards. 

“What?” Koa cried out. This was his first time hiking all the way to Ore caverns, but he’d assumed he could just go right in. Although granted, he’d never been far from Canalave. The farthest he’d ever go was Twinleaf town, to visit his cousin’s friend. And even then, he always traveled on official routes.

“Why not?” he demanded.

The guard looked down at him and frowned. “This is not a cave that is on an official route. It’s not safe for inexperienced trainers, plus there have been sightings of a dangerous Golbat colony.” 

“You should know better than to goof off in an unexplored cave,” the second guard added, giving Koa a look of disdain.

Koa gave him a dirty look and grit his teeth. _Yes,_ he knew that, but he assumed the frontier lands around Canalave were safer. Still, how bad could the cave be? He eyed the two guards. They wore matching frowns. Not the type who would give in to convincing.. “Alright. Guess I’ll have to come back later.” He put on his sincerest disappointed face and walked away. As soon as he walked around a bend, and was hidden from sight, he began scanning the landscape. Most cave systems had multiple entrances. There was no way he was passing up the chance to go inside now that he was here. Plus, the Zubat line were not that dangerous. As long as he kept quiet, he should be fine.

Another several minutes of searching led him to a small opening partway up the slope, half-covered by brush.

“Nice!” Koa got on his hands and knees, crawling through the small opening. It appeared to be a long tunnel, perhaps made by a pokemon of some kind. For a long time, the tunnel remained fairly narrow, and Koa wondered if perhaps it led nowhere. After a good several minutes, however, the tunnel slowly widened, until he was able to stand up straight. The tunnel continued forwards for another few feet, before dropping off a few feet into a chamber. He hopped down, landing with a small thump. Koa dusted himself off and took a look around. Pulling out his flashlight, he shined it all around. 

The cavern he stood in was medium sized, perhaps as big as an average house. One large tunnel on the opposite side stretched away into the darkness. Koa decided to head for that one first. Keeping his flashlight trained ahead, he started towards the tunnel. He hardly took a step before a bluish shape darted in front of his flashlight beam. He gave a sharp yelp of surprise as a strange weight landed on his head. Dropping his flashlight, he batted the object off his head. It landed on the ground with a shriek of surprise. Koa grabbed his flashlight and aimed it at the shape. The beam revealed the small bluish body of a Zubat. He frowned and peered closer. The Zubat’s fangs indicated it was male, and the fur on its body was sticky and matted. With honey. Koa groaned. Something told him this wasn’t just a random Zubat. It was the same Zubat from the honey tree a few weeks ago.

Zubat fluttered into the air and shrieked happily, then settled on his head again. Koa growled and shook his head, displacing it. “Oh no you don’t. Scram,” he hissed.

Either the Zubat didn’t understand, or didn’t care, and immediately dived for his head again. He ducked out of the way and made a shooing motion. “No!” He could guess this Zubat was trying to join him, and he had no intention of allowing it. There definitely was _not_ room in the Plan for a Zubat. Unfortunately, the Zubat didn’t seem to get the memo. It squeaked again and dived for his head. He dodged it again, and tried to keep walking. It kept squeaking happily and fluttered after him.

Koa stopped and turned around, glaring at the Zubat. “You can’t come with me,” he said firmly. Zubat chirped and did a little loop. Growling, he smacked his head with his hand. Clearly, the Zubat had no intention of leaving. If it kept following him, it could alert every wild pokemon in the area to him. And more importantly, it could scare off any legendaries. 

With a long sigh, Koa withdrew a pokeball from his pocket and tossed it at the Zubat. It arced through the air, striking the Zubat on the head and encapsulating it in red light. The ball landed on the ground, rolled once, then dinged. Koa immediately cursed. He’d accidentally grabbed the luxury ball his brother gave him, instead of a regular pokeball. With a sigh, he picked up the ball and attached it to his belt. Later he could have it transferred to a regular ball, he supposed. Then he could release it. There was absolutely no way in Arceus' name he was keeping a Zubat. No. Way.

* * *

  
  


**And there it is. Chapter 1. Thank you for reading! This serves as set up for the rest of the story. The following chapters will be a tad shorter, but they are all of consistent length. Once again, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Also, please review and comment. I love hearing my readers thoughts or even constructive criticism.**

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koamaru finds himself at the mercy of a pack of dangerous Golbat. How will he escape?

**Here is chapter 2! Koa has managed to catch his first Pokemon. Or has he? Read on to see how his unusual capture fares.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Koa continued through the cavern, trying to keep his mind off the Zubat he'd just caught. As soon as he got out of here, he was releasing it. He approached a tunnel ahead, examining it curiously. The walls were smooth and somewhat uniform. Probably made by an Onix. "Alright Regirock, where are you..." He pulled out his camera and started walking.

His ultimate dream was to actually capture a legendary. It was a dream he'd never shared with anyone, not even Blake. Though for now, he would settle for a picture of Regirock. He didn't expect to actually be able to capture a deity like Palkia or Dialga, but perhaps one of a trio of legendary birds or dogs. Research suggested there could be more than one of the species. That would be something. Or perhaps he could even catch a mythical pokemon, like Shaymin. He turned his attention back to his surroundings.

The cave wound in a series of tunnels and caverns and ledges and slopes. He took care to mark which routes he'd gone down, so he wouldn't get lost. For almost an hour, he explored with no trouble. As he walked, he kept his flashlight trained on the area in front of him. He saw a few wild pokemon, although only from a distance. He'd just emerged into another cavern when a cry of challenge broke the silence.

Koa looked across the cavern to see a small Machop glaring at him. It gave another roar, smashing its fists together in a challenge. Despite its demeanor, it didn't look particularly tough. He groaned and slowly withdrew Zubat's pokeball.

"Go Zubat," he muttered.

Zubat emerged from the pokeball with a delighted shriek. He immediately faced down the Machop. The Machop seemed surprised at the appearance of an aerial foe.

"Wing Attack?" Koa called. He had no idea what the Zubat's moves were, nor did he care. He just wanted to keep exploring.

Zubat shrieked and dived at Machop, his wings glowing. Before Machop could react, Zubat struck it with two solid blows. Baring his fangs, Zubat sunk them into Machop, delivering a solid Bite attack. Machop cried out and shook itself free. It glared at Zubat, still defiant, although Koa could tell the Wing Attack had greatly weakened it. It leaped into the air, its leg glowing white. Zubat twisted sideways, barely dodging the attack. He delivered another Wing Attack, sending Machop smashing to the ground. Machop didn't get up again.

Koa returned Zubat with a sigh. Despite Zubat's triumph, he couldn't find it in himself to be impressed, not when the Machop was clearly the weaker opponent. He was beginning to regret not going straight to Rowan's lab. Maybe if he had, he could have found a Shinx.

Scanning the cavern he'd ended up in, he realized it was a dead end. He left the dead-end cavern and took another tunnel. This one ended up opening into a much, much larger cavern. Large stalactites and stalagmites emerged from the ceiling and floor, and small pools of water were scattered about.

A heavy rumbling noise drew his attention to a ledge on the far side of the room. He shined his flashlight towards it just in time to see a large shadow move away. Could that have been Regirock?

Sprinting in the direction he'd last seen it, he dodged stalagmites and began scaling the wall up to the ledge. A few moments later, he'd dragged himself onto the ledge. He started forwards, but his foot hit air where he expected solid ground. With a cry of shock, he tumbled forwards, rolling down a steep slope. The rough ground tore at his jacket and scraped his limbs. A few moments later, he smacked into something hard, coming to a stop. He let out a groan of pain, and lay still for a few moments, then slowly sat up.

"Ughh..." His entire body ached all over, but it didn't feel like anything had broken. He turned to see what he hit. His tumble had taken him just inside a small cavern. A round green boulder had stopped his fall. Green boulder? The cave's walls were a brown color. Which meant...

"Shoot!" He leaped to his feet just as the boulder seemingly came to life, two arms and two legs popping out, followed by a small brownish head. The Golem roared at him in annoyance.

A light emerged from his belt and coalesced into the form of Zubat. He shrieked at the Golem, who roared in return. The roar shook the tiny cavern, small rocks falling from the ceiling and rattling the ground.

"Zubat, get back!" he yelped.

Golem tucked into a ball and rolled at Zubat, his body moving so fast it became a blur. It smashed into him hard, sending him flying into a wall. Zubat squeaked in pain and lay still. "Zubat!" Koa yelled. He darted towards his fallen pokemon. A golden orb of energy appeared in Golem's mouth and it fired it towards Zubat. At the last moment, Koa grabbed him and rolled out of the way as the orb exploded behind them. He cradled Zubat close as he stared down Golem. He needed to get out of here, fast. A few yards away, to his left, was another entrance. If he could distract Golem, he could escape through there.

Golem roared angrily, causing the room to shake. Koa grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it past Golem. For a brief second, it glanced away, towards where the rock landed. Koa bolted, sprinting by Golem and through the tunnel. He kept running, trying his best to remember the paths he took. For almost ten minutes straight, he kept running, until he was sure Golem wasn't following.

Finally, he stopped in another cavern, breathing heavily. Kneeling down, he set Zubat on the ground carefully and pulled a slightly squashed Oran berry out of his bag. Drop by drop, he carefully squeezed the juice into Zubat's mouth.

A few moments later, the Zubat began to flutter its wings. Koa smiled in relief, then gave him another Oran berry. Within a few minutes, he was looking completely restored. Koa opened an HP checker app on his Poketch and scanned Zubat. A few seconds later, the results popped up. Full HP.

"Phew," he murmured. He still didn't want to keep the Zubat, but he didn't want to see it hurt, either. Until he released it, it was technically his pokemon. Regardless, the encounter only made him more desperate to capture a real pokemon.

"No more challenging ridiculously strong pokemon," Koa snapped. He pulled out Zubat's pokeball and returned him, shaking his head.

Koa stood up and dusted himself off as best he could. "Well, might as well look around." The cavern was large, even bigger than the first one he encountered. Tragically there was no sign of Regirock, although he'd come to suspect what he'd seen earlier had simply been another pokemon. He wandered slowly through the room, carefully checking the ground for tracks or signs of Regirock. He'd made his way almost halfway around the cavern when something caught his eye. Poking from behind a stalagmite, he spotted something white. He crept over to it and peered around the stalagmite. A crumbled set of human bones lay scattered on the ground, gnawed clean.

Koa took a step back and shuddered, looking away. Likely an errant researcher or hiker who had wandered too far. _What does that make you?_ He thought. A chill traveled down his spine and he forced his gaze away from the skeleton. There was no evidence of a pokemon skeleton, so he could have simply come in alone and been overwhelmed. Besides, they looked pretty old. Something else quickly drew his attention away from thoughts of being killed by wild pokemon.

An unusual stone object lay several feet away, a much lighter and grayer color than the cave rock. It resembled a piece of a large jaw bone, almost twice as big as his head. "It's a Jaw Fossil!" He picked it up and stroked it.

It felt heavy, although still lighter than he expected based on its size. He'd found plenty of fossil's before, while out with his cousin or when he snuck into caves on his own. But he'd never found any complete enough for regeneration.

"I thought these were found in Kalos, not Sinnoh," He murmured to himself. If he could get to the museum in Oreburgh City, he could revive the fossil into a Tyrunt. "Sweet!" He shouted. His voice echoed through the cavern, bouncing back to him.

As the noise faded, he heard scratching and fluttering above him. A vague sense of dread filled him. Slowly, hesitantly, he aimed his flashlight towards the ceiling. An entire colony of Zubat and Golbat hung from the ceiling. A nest. Their wide-open eyes gleamed in his flashlight beam as they glared down at him. He took a step back and stumbled, his beam sweeping wildly across the ceiling. A loud screeching filled the room and the sound of hundreds of wingbeats echoed as they left their perches, swarming the cavern.

Their deafening cries filled the room, and they began to dive at him. One whizzed by him and scratched his jacket, tearing straight through the leather and cutting his skin. Another made a dive for him. Koa ducked and it whizzed by just inches above him. He shuddered. This must be the Golbat colony the guards had referred to. The Golbat coalesced into a swarm, shrieking their displeasure. One dove at him again. Koa threw his hands up, narrowly avoiding being bitten in the face, though he paid for it when Golbat bit his shoulder. Flinching in pain, he batted it off. A horrifying thought occurred to him. The Golbat didn't seem to be interested in just driving him off. They wanted him gone, whatever it took. This wasn't just about escaping. It was about survival. Koa backed away, his heart pounding.

Suddenly his Zubat emerged from his pokeball again. He faced the swarm, shrieking and chittering angrily. One Golbat, larger than the rest, flew forwards, shrieking angrily in return. The two seemed to engage in some kind of brief conversation.

Without warning, the Golbat dived at Zubat, its jaws wide open. It snatched Zubat out of the sky, tossing him to the ground. Zubat squeaked weakly and fluttered back into the air. The horde of Golbat began to draw in around them. Zubat opened its tiny jaws and let out an ear-splitting screech. The horde backed off slightly.

Zubat turned to him, squeaking urgently, then took off towards a tunnel Koa hadn't noticed before. Koa bolted after his Zubat. He weaved through the tunnels, gasping for breath. Behind him, he could still hear the wingbeats of the colony. They weren't giving up as easy as the Golem had. Taking out Zubat's pokeball, he returned him. No sense letting his foolish Zubat get injured more.

After a few minutes, he spotted a tunnel that was lighter than the others. An exit, perhaps? He raced down the tunnel. As he turned a corner, the light almost blinded him. He kept going, emerging from the cave and onto a steep forested slope. Half-sliding, half running, he hurtled down the hill. At the base, he crossed a thin dirt path and collapsed at the edge of the woods on the other side. His breaths came in ragged heaves, and his vision swam. He could feel his heart hammering rapidly in his chest, and he felt sick. Wearily, he peered across the road. The Golbat colony was gone.

He released Zubat from his pokeball. Koa could feel his tiny rapid heartbeat and his wearied breaths. Zubat didn't seem too badly injured although the most concerning was a set of deep puncture wounds caused by the Golbat's fangs. He needed a pokemon center. Although his own Zubat would likely be immune to the dangerous diseases wild Golbat could carry he wanted to get the bite looked at.

"Foolish Zubat," he murmured. "Still, I owe you a thanks, I guess. You saved my life, I think." Raising his head, he looked around.

To the south, just past the trees, he could see the shining expanse of Lake Verity. A sigh of relief escaped him. If that was Lake Verity, then that meant there was a Ranger outpost not far. He glanced at the sky. It was evening. He needed to get to the outpost quickly. If he got caught when it was dark out, with Zubat in this shape, it wouldn't be good at all. He stuffed the fossil into his backpack and cradled Zubat in his arms. After taking a moment to orient himself, he set off at a steady jog, trying to ignore his own pain.

The sun had started to set by the time he reached the outpost. Like all outposts, it consisted of a sturdy wall to keep out pokemon, and guards stationed at the rim to discourage flying pokemon. Inside was a small base for the guards, a couple of houses, and most importantly, a pokemon center. He raced through the outpost and burst into the Pokemon Center.

"Nurse!" He shouted. "My pokemon needs help!" The nurse, an older woman with short-cropped gray hair, hurried towards him. Her Chansey trotted beside her, pushing a gurney, and she carefully took Zubat from him, setting him on Chansey's cart. "What happened to it?"

"We were attacked by a colony of Zubat and Golbat. And they bit him too."

The nurse nodded. "Wait here." She pushed his Zubat through a set of double doors. Koa started to follow, but the doors locked behind the nurse. With a sigh, he picked a chair near the doors and sat down. The longer he waited, the more worried he grew. He pushed the worry down, deep into his mind. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. After all, he still planned to release Zubat soon. Next time he'd be more prepared, that was all.

The Golbat flock had been nothing more than an unexpected occurrence, and once he had a proper starter pokemon, wild pokemon wouldn't be a problem. Plus, he still had the Plan. With a full team of strong and diverse pokemon, he could go anywhere. His guilt dismissed, he reflected on his next steps. The first stop was circumventing Lake Verity. From there he could travel to Route 201, which would lead him to Sandgem, which was only a half day's walk away. After he stopped in to see Professor Rowan, then he would make his way to Oreburgh and revive his fossil. Then he could train more and get back to his Plan.

Sometime later, the nurse came out. Chansey followed close behind, pushing a cart with Zubat on it, who seemed much perkier. "Your Zubat will be fine. Let him rest tonight, and try to avoid hard battles for a day or so."

Zubat chirped happily and fluttered onto his head.

"Thank you nurse..." He glanced at her nametag. "Nerene."

She gave a nod in response. "It looks like you were injured too. Didn't you see the guard stationed outside the entrance?" her tone was annoyed, and Koa couldn't help but be reminded of Blake when he got mad at him for doing something dangerous.

Koa said nothing.

"Get over here. No sense in healing your pokemon and letting you catch all manners of diseases." Nerene led him to a side room and helped bandage his deeper wounds, and had Chansey use her abilities to heal the less serious ones. She was none too gentle, and Koa started to wish he'd simply suffered through the pain. "Alright, there," Nerene grumbled. "Now stay out of dangerous caves."

Koa mumbled a thanks and headed out of the Pokemon Center. It was too late to be out on the road, so he got a room at an inn and stayed the night.

The next morning, he awoke early. He had a lot of ground to cover to reach Route 201. Since he wouldn't be traveling by official routes for the first part of the journey, it would be harder. Fortunately, if he stuck to the lakefront, it wouldn't be too strenuous.

After traveling for a few hours along the lakefront, he reached the beginning of Route 201. He let out a sigh of relief. From here it would be easy. A long, packed dirt path wound through sparse woods ahead. He glanced at his Poketch. Almost noon. Which meant he could be in Sandgem by this evening.

For the next couple of hours, he followed the path, enjoying the scenery. He saw quite a few wild pokemon, but none that really interested him. He did plan to catch a Starly, but for now, he really only wanted a Shinx and his fossil.

A loud screech erupted from the forest. A moment later, a Galvantula emerged from the woods, scuttling across the road. It turned around, firing an Electroweb towards the trees. The attack was swiftly countered by a white bone sailing through the air. It struck the Electroweb, breaking it apart.

"Get back here you lousy bug!" A man emerged from the woods, in hot pursuit of the Galvantula. A Marowak followed close behind him.

Koa took in the situation quickly. The Galvantula had stopped at the side of the road, eyeing the Marowak warily. It appeared battered, and its breathing was heavy. A rubber shackle dangled from one of its forelegs. Its pursuer wore dark camo clothing and specialized rubber gloves. A large net was strapped to his back, as well as several ropes. Disgust welled up in Koa. The man was obviously a poacher. He froze when he saw Koa. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Koa saw panic flare in the poacher's gaze. Then it turned to disdain.

"Scram kid, this doesn't concern you."

The Galvantula backed away a few steps.

The poacher growled. "Trap that thing!" Marowak gave a nod, then dove into the ground. A moment later, the Galvantula gave a cry of surprise as the ground underneath it collapsed, half burying it.

"Leave it alone!" Koa shouted.

The poacher turned to Koa, scowling. "Marowak-"

Koa whipped out Zubat's pokeball, almost on instinct. "Zubat, attack!" he called, tossing his pokeball. Zubat was weak, and even though he had the flying advantage, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Marowak in a proper battle. But he didn't have much choice either.

Zubat appeared in a flash of light. He hardly finished emerging from the ball before letting out a blast of soundwaves. _Supersonic_. Marowak dropped its bone, covering its ears.

"Quick, use Supersonic again!"

Zubat opened its jaws and unleashed another series of powerful soundwaves. They struck the stunned Marowak full on. It staggered in circles, dazed and confused.

The Galvantula took the opportunity to scramble free from the hole and disappear into the woods.

"Curse you, brat!" The poacher pulled out a pokeball and quickly returned Marowak. He pulled out a small object from his pocket and hurled it towards the ground. There was a loud bang and cloud of thick, dense smoke enveloped the area.

Koa unexpectedly sucked in a mouthful and started coughing. His eyes began to water and his throat burned. Zubat squeaked and coughed as well, and he quickly returned him to his pokeball. It took almost a full minute for the smoke to clear. When it did, the poacher was gone, unsurprisingly. Still, at least the poor Galvantula managed to escape. Judging by its appearance, it seemed the Galvantula must have escaped from the poacher. They definitely weren't native to this area of Sinnoh. As soon as he got to Sandgem, he vowed to report the poacher.

Shaking his head in disgust, he continued down the route. In the distance, he could catch the first glimpse of the buildings of Sandgem town, which meant he only had another hour of traveling to go. Hardly a minute passed before he felt a strange tingle down his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He spun around, coming face to face with a Galvantula. The very same one he'd saved only minutes earlier.

As he watched, it slowly approached him. Then, from the fur on its back, a tiny Joltik leaped off, landing in front of him. Koa gasped. Galvantula was probably Joltik's mother. The Joltik scurried forwards, its tiny blue eyes gleaming with determination. It chittered defiantly and took another step forwards.

"Oh boy..." Koa muttered. He recognized the look in its eyes. It wanted to come with him. He fought the urge to groan. The Plan was to get a Luxray, not a Joltik. As he stared into the Joltik's eyes, his heart began to soften. Despite its size, it displayed an unusual ferocity. Well, Joltik was still an electric type. And a Galvantula would be a strong addition to a team... "Are you saying you want to come with me?"

The Joltik nodded, its eyes gleaming.

"My dream is to become the greatest explorer ever." Koa turned and gestured to the far off hills of Mt. Coronet. "I'm going to climb that mountain one day, and find the peak. And along the way, I want to raise a team of powerful pokemon. Do you want to come?"

The Joltik bounced up down, tiny sparks leaping off its fur. Koa chucked at the display. "Alright then, I guess that settles it." He withdrew a pokeball from his bag and held it out to Joltik. It sprang forwards, tapping the button in the center. The usual red light emerged, drawing Joltik in. A moment later, the ball dinged.

Koa couldn't help but grin. He'd caught his first pokemon! The Galvantula, who until now, had waited quietly, gave him a nod of respect. Then it turned and vanished back into the forest. He watched it go, then set his sights on the route ahead. The last leg of his journey flew by. He kept Joltik in his pokeball for now, though as he walked, he contemplated potential nicknames for it. Once he reached the gates of Sandgem, he paused to release Joltik.

Joltik churred happily and scurried up his leg and onto his shoulder. Koa patted it gently. "So what do you say, buddy? Want a nickname?"

Joltik gave a little hop in acknowledgment.

"Let's see..." Koa mused. "How about Jolt?"

Joltik immediately delivered a small shock to him.

"Guess that's a no," Koa gasped. After a long (and somewhat painful process), he settled on a name he thought the Joltik would like. "How about Hazard?"

The Joltik made a chittering noise and hopped off his shoulder, letting tiny sparks fly. Judging by its eyes, it seemed quite happy with the choice.

"Hazard it is then."

Koa returned it for the short walk through Sandgem to Rowan's lab. His mind was focused on only two things - reporting the poacher, and finding whatever Rowan had in store for him.

Sandgem reminded him of Canalave. It was one of the few coastal cities in Sinnoh, though quite a bit smaller than Canalave. Most of it consisted of long roads with a few scattered houses, spread far apart. The breeze carried the familiar tang of salt and sand, and the noon sun warmed his back. The open fields and wide space made it an excellent choice for Professor Rowan's lab, and gave the researcher plenty of space to keep a wide variety of pokemon.

As Koa approached the lab, however, he saw a large crowd gathered around it. Several police officers were also roaming the grounds. Koa frowned. This was definitely not normal. He hurriedly pushed his way through the throngs of onlookers, ignoring their dirty looks. Near the entrance to the lab, he spotted Professor Rowan, talking to an officer.

"Professor Rowan!" he called.

The Professor turned towards him, then waved him over. He said something to the officer, who nodded, shook his hand, then left. Koa raced up the path to the lab.

"Professor, what happened?" he searched the Professor's face anxiously, trying to find any clue of what transpired. He looked even more cross than usual, and his gaze was dark.

"A robbery, I'm afraid. Come inside, I have to explain some things to you."

Koa's clenched his fists and followed him inside. Rage bubbled in him as Rowan led him to the main room, which was empty, and sat down. How dare someone rob a pokemon Professor? Poaching was bad enough, but to rob a Professor?

"I have some bad news."

Koa turned to face Rowan, trying to prepare himself for the worst, although he had no idea what the 'worst' actually was.

"The people who broke in escaped with a great deal of valuable research and equipment. They also took a pokemon from the nursery." Rowan let out a long sigh before continuing. "I'm afraid that pokemon was meant for you. Your cousin and I were going to give it to you as a gift for becoming a trainer."

A mix of emotions swirled through Koa's mind. "When did they break in?" he asked stiffly.

"This morning."

Rage burned inside him. He felt like punching a wall. As it was, he settled for clenching his jaw. Deep down, he blamed himself. If he'd just come straight to the lab instead of going to that cave first... He pushed the thought away. The deed was long done. Besides, he might never have found the Jaw fossil if he hadn't gone exploring.

Rowan continued. "I am sorry, Koamaru. I can offer you one of the pokemon I keep for young trainers starting their journey."

Koa shook his head numbly. Even though he would love a chance at one of the starters, they weren't part of his plan. Besides, he knew Rowan had a class graduating soon, and he didn't want to deprive him of the rare 'starter' pokemon.

"Well, there is little to be done now, except hope they find the crooks. I do have something else for you, however." Rowan stood up and strode to his office. Koa trailed behind, trying to bury his disappointment.

He watched as the Professor moved a picture of a Staraptor from the wall, revealing a hidden safe. Typing in a code, the safe clicked open. He retrieved a small object from within. Closing the safe, he turned around to face Koa. "Here you are, my boy. Your very own Pokedex."

Koa's eyes lit up, and he reverently took the device. It was a slim, rectangular device painted bright red and black. He flipped it open, revealing dual screens. "Wow..." he breathed. Pokedexes were generally reserved for those in a Professor's personal class or could be bought. However, they were somewhat expensive.

"Thank you!" Koa closed the device and carefully slipped it into the inner pocket on his jacket. Pokedexes were absolutely invaluable devices, right up there with PokeNavs and Poketchs. They were not only capable of looking up information on Pokemon but could also be used to research moves, abilities, and just about anything else a trainer could want to know about a Pokemon.

"I've also taken the liberty of registering your capture system personally," Professor Rowan continued. "So if you do choose to capture more than six Pokemon, they will be sent to my preserve."

"Thank you," Koa said. At least there was one piece of good news. Even though he currently had no intention of trying to catch additional Pokemon, it was comforting to know that if he changed his mind he would have someone he could trust to look after them.

Rowan cleared his throat. "Well, I expect you'll want to get back to your journey. Where are you headed next?"

Koa eagerly explained how he'd found the Jaw fossil, and planned to have it revived as soon as possible.

Rowan nodded sagely, his eyes twinkling as if remembering something fondly. "I was just like you in my younger days, you know. Full of energy. Well, you'd best be off then. If you're walking, it will take you at least two days to reach Jubilife."

Koa shook his head. "I think I'll take the bus to Jubilife, then walk to Oreburgh. There isn't anything I really want to catch on Route 202."

Rowan nodded thoughtfully but didn't say anything else. Koa bid him farewell, then hurried out of the lab. He made a quick stop at the Police Headquarters to report the poacher, then headed north, towards the bus stop.

"Hey, wait up!"

Koa frowned and glanced back to see a young girl racing towards him. She stopped a few feet away, panting as she caught her breath. He groaned inwardly. Right now, all he wanted was to get on the road and get to Oreburgh.

"You just left the lab, right?" she asked.

Koa nodded. "Yeah... what do you want?" he asked suspiciously. He eyed her carefully. She looked close to his age, but he'd never seen her around the lab either, which meant she wasn't an assistant.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about the break-in. I'm investigating it, and I think it may be connected to a series of other robberies. Did Professor Rowan tell you anything?"

Koa shook his head. "No. Is that it? Because I kinda have a bus to catch..."

The girl frowned and sighed. "I'm an investigator. I'm trying to see if the recent crimes are in any way connected to Team Galactic. Do you know anything else about what happened?"

Koa shuddered at the mere mention of the name. He'd heard plenty of tales from Blake about how the organization terrorized Sinnoh some years ago. They'd kidnapped the sacred Lake Guardians. Fortunately, they'd apparently been thwarted before they could do real damage.

"I don't really know much, sorry," Koa said.

She flicked out a business card, handing it to him. "If you see anything else, call me." Without another word, she turned and jogged back towards the lab. Koa watched her go, then resumed his trek to the bus stop. The disappointment of missing out on the pokemon Rowan had for him still weighed heavily on his mind. To distract himself, he released Hazard from his pokeball.

"Alright buddy, let's see what you can do." He pulled out his Pokedex, scanning the Joltik.

_Joltik, the Attaching Pokemon. They attach themselves to large-bodied Pokémon and absorb static electricity, which they store in an electric pouch. This Joltik is male and knows the moves Absorb, Electroweb, Bug Bite, String Shot. Its ability is Compound Eyes._

"Cool!" The moveset was fairly good, considering. Absorb and Bug Bite would give him good offense, while String Shot and Electroweb could trip up opponents.

Holding out his hand, he let Hazard scurry onto his shoulder. Just the sight of his new Pokemon cheered him up. Soon, he would be in Oreburgh. And not long after that, he would have a real, honest to goodness Fossil pokemon on his team. In the distance, he saw the bus approaching. A grin spread across his face.

_Tyrunt, here I come._

* * *

**As always, thank you for reading.**

**This chapter is just a hair short of my usual par, but it felt right, considering everything that takes place in the next chapter. What do you guys think so far? As always, read, review and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.**


	3. Rocky Road to Success

**Here is chapter 3! As you can see, I am recording a list of all of Koa's Pokemon at the start and end of every chapter, just to make things easier to remember. In this chapter, Koa will face his first gym challenge... Will he be able to win?**

**Hazard (Male Joltik){Ability: Compound eyes} - Bug Bite, Electroweb, String Shot, Absorb**

**Echo (Male Zubat) {Ability: Inner Focus} - Supersonic, Absorb, Bite, Wing Attack**

* * *

Getting to Oreburgh wasn't hard at all. He left Jubilife through the east gate, taking route 203 towards the Coronet mountains. In the distance, he could just make a smaller series of mountains that extended from the Coronet Mountain range, creating a natural wall on three sides of Oreburgh City. Far in the distance, beyond the small mountains, the shadow of Mt. Coronet loomed, its peak disappearing into the clouds.

The route was fairly simple, mostly consisting of a long, winding path through spare woods, and near the end, and gentle slope leading to Oreburgh Gate, a passage through the mountains. He was still at least a day's journey away, though he was sure he could reach the passage by tomorrow morning if he kept a good pace. There was a small lake halfway along the route where he planned to rest, then set out early the next morning.

He hadn't been traveling for long when he caught sight of a small Starly at the edge of the path. Koa quietly took a pokeball from his belt. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Go, Hazard!"

Joltik emerged in a flash of blue light. Starly chirped in surprise and then opened its wings, preparing to take off.

"Use String Shot and immobilize it!"

A burst of sticky web shot from Hazard's pincers, wrapping around Starly's body and one of its wings. It fluttered its remaining wing in a panic. Hazard jerked it to the ground.

"Now, Electroweb!"

A small glowing ball of electricity formed in front of Joltik. As he launched it, it spread into a wide web of crackling electricity, pinning the Starly down. Within a second, the Starly was knocked out. The web faded, leaving only the Starly behind. Koa took out an empty pokeball, ready to capture it.

Something made him pause, however. _You already have a flying type. Zubat._ He stared at the Starly, uncertainty gripping him. He would desperately love a Staraptor, yet... His hesitation cost him. In a moment, the Starly recovered. It blinked a few times, cheeped in alarm, then took off. Koa watched it go and groaned. Well, there would be plenty of opportunities to catch another Starly. He just wanted to catch the right one. That was all. And when he did, he would release Zubat.

Satisfied, he continued on, allowing Hazard to remain on his shoulder. The little Joltik had taken to absorbing electricity from his Poketch after battles, but Koa made a note to pick up a battery pack next time he was in a city. Though his Poketch had a powerful solar battery, battery packs were more efficient. Plus, they were specially designed for electric types like Joltik and Pichu.

For the next few hours, he traveled in peaceful solitude. As the sun began to set behind the mountains, he spotted the glimmering surface of a small lake. With a whoop of delight, he ran the short distance to the water's edge. He dropped to his knees, splashing his face with the cool, refreshing water. After enjoying the water for several moments, he sat back. Time to make camp.

Once he'd set up his tent and sleeping bag, he sighed contentedly, then reached for his pokeball belt and took out Zubat's ball. He tapped the button, releasing him. Zubat let out a happy screech and did a little loop. Koa rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm just letting you stretch your wings. I'm going to do some quick training with Hazard, so just stay out of the way, ok?"

Zubat looked slightly crestfallen, then fluttered away. Koa didn't bother watching, he doubted Zubat would go far. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. He wanted to get some training in with Hazard before he reached Oreburgh. "Alright Hazard, ready?"

Hazard hopped off his shoulder and took up a battle stance.

From what he knew of Joltik, they couldn't produce their own electricity. However, with training, they could greatly expand the amount of electricity they could store. With enough training, they could even grow strong enough to not need a charge for several battles. By that point, he would have evolved into a powerful Galvantula, and could create his own electricity.

He started by having Hazard practice his Electroweb on a nearby tree, then use his String Shot. After a solid hour of building up endurance with his attacks, Koa called it quits. The sun had nearly set completely, and he was fairly worn out from everything that had happened.

"Good job, Hazard!" Koa patted Hazard appreciatively. The small bug chirped in delight. Koa returned to his camp and fed both his Pokemon. Zubat returned looking rather proud of itself, but he couldn't tell why. Nor was he particularly interested. Returning both Hazard and Zubat to their pokeballs, he turned in for the night. His dreams were filled with legendaries and thoughts of climbing Mt. Coronet, only to be greeted by a giant Zubat instead of a legendary.

He awoke fairly early, eager to continue on his journey. He opted to leave both Hazard and Zubat out of their pokeballs. The weather was pleasant, and the exercise would be good for them. Or Hazard, at least. He didn't stop to battle much, although he let Hazard take out a few Bidoof and another Starly. He decided to wait until after he got his Tyrunt to catch a Starly. Once, he saw Zubat fly off towards a Kricketot to challenge it, but he didn't pay any attention to the fight. Judging by its behavior when it returned, however, he supposed it must have won.

Halfway to Oreburgh Gate, Koa took a moment to stare at Mt. Coronet. His heart filled with longing. One day he would explore its depths. No telling what kinds of treasure lay inside, not to mention the legends he'd read about in the Canalave library. How Arceus had formed Sinnoh, and supposedly, at the highest peak of Mt. Coronet, lay the Spear Pillar. The place where Palkia and Dialga, the gods of space and time, had been created. A place no one had seen in years, if it even existed. The only way to the pillar was through the caves, but the caves were like a maze. The deepest depths were filled with countless strong wild pokemon, who could easily destroy a Pokemon and its trainer. Even the gym leaders didn't venture too far into its depths. Many a trainer had tried to fly to the pillar, only to be met with unpredictable winds and freezing temperatures. It was truly the ultimate test.

Pictures of legendary Pokemon swarmed through his head. He saw himself climbing the mountain, being lauded as one of the first trainers to reach the Spear Pillar in centuries. Photographs of Sinnoh's deities in hand, he would be on national news. And perhaps he could even impress his parents, who were far away in Unova region, on some trip or other.

"We'll make it there one day, Hazard," he pointed towards Mt. Coronet. "Maybe we'll even see Dialga and Palkia."

Hazard chirped. From somewhere behind, Zubat screeched his agreement.

Finally, Koa dragged his gaze away from the mountain and continued walking. As he drew closer to the mountain range, the ground sloped and Koa could see Oreburgh Gate not far ahead. A wide tunnel cut through the mountain. He knew that just on the other side was Oreburgh City, famous for its mines and museums. He'd gone there with Blake on a few occasions and was familiar with the city and its gym leader, who happened to be the son of Canalave's own gym leader, Byron.

A man wearing a police uniform stood outside Oreburgh gate, leaning on the cave wall. As Koa approached, he looked up. "Hey! You there!"

Koa gave him a questioning look.

"You see any shady characters around?"

"Shady characters?"

"Suspicious people. There's been some crimes committed lately In Jubilife and Oreburgh, and we're trying to track down the criminals responsible."

Koa shrugged and shook his head. "No... sorry." He'd only see a few other people out walking about, and none looked very suspicious. Although he supposed any criminal worth his salt wouldn't be very good if he looked suspicious.

The officer sighed and waved him on. "Alright, keep going."

Koa took a step, then the officer held out his hand. "Hang on. Lemme see your Trainer's License."

Koa handed it over. The officer looked it over before handing it back. "Congratulations man. Good luck out there. Are you gonna try for the gym circuit?"

"Maybe. But I've got a lot I want to do."

The guard nodded. "I understand. Don't forget though, a lot of places require badges for entry if you plan to explore."

"I'll keep that in mind," Koa said. He started towards the exit. "Have a good day," he called back.

"Same to you!" The guard replied.

The Oreburgh Gate path was a bit long but turned out to be an uneventful walk. He only saw a couple of Geodude, which he was able to defeat a bit too easy to make it really worthwhile. He considered the guard's advice. Truthfully, he'd always known he would have to take on the gym circuit eventually. After his experience at the Ore caverns, he was considering going for the gym circuit sooner, rather than later. He knew for sure that the highest levels of Mt. Coronet were restricted to all but the most accomplished trainers. Perhaps after he got his Tyrunt, he would try for it. Eventually, the light at the end grew larger and brighter, until he emerged into Oreburgh City.

Oreburgh city was a sturdy mining town nestled between mountains. To the south lay its mines, where the Gym Leader Roark worked, and farther to the east lay the bulk of the Coronet Mountain Range, stretching almost far north as Snowpoint City. The north area was mostly housing, and perhaps the most important building - the Oreburgh Mining Museum. He hurried through the town as fast as he could run, not bothering to take in the sights.

A massive steel and glass building took up the northeast portion of the city - The Oreburgh Mining Museum. He burst through the door and skidded to stop. Roark himself stood just inside, talking with a woman in a lab coat. After a few more seconds, the woman nodded and walked away. Roark turned and noticed him.

"Roark!" Koa blurted. He hurried over to the gym leader.

"Hmm. Koamaru, isn't it? I remember your cousin, Blake. You live in my father's city, right?" Roark asked.

Koa nodded.

"What brings you out here? On another trip with Blake?"

"Nope!" Koa said proudly. "I got my trainer's license. And I found a Jaw fossil!"

Roark raised his eyebrows. "Incredible! A Jaw Fossil? Tyrunt are native to Kalos, so it's very unusual to see one here in Sinnoh. May I see it?"

Koa handed the fossil over. Roark turned it over slowly in his hands, nodding. "An excellent specimen indeed. More than good enough for revival."

"Sick! Can you do it now?"

Roark handed the fossil back and shook his head. "I'd love to since I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Tyrunt, but I won't. Tyrunt are very tough pokemon, and hard to train. Unless you have at least two gym badges, then you'll have to wait."

Koa gritted his teeth, suppressing his frustration and disappointment. He'd come all this way for nothing? No. There was something...

"Fine. I challenge you to a battle!"

Roark chuckled. "Very well, if that's what you want. But I warn you, I won't be going easy on you. Meet me at the gym. And I suggest you prepare well." Roark gave a brief wave before striding out of the museum.

"We're gonna defeat him, Hazard. Then we'll beat another gym. Whatever it takes to get Tyrunt." He glanced down at Hazard, who clung to his shoulder, then at Zubat, who dutifully hovered a few feet behind him. If he didn't get Tyrunt, then all his efforts in the caverns would have been for nothing. Clenching his fists, he stomped out of the museum.

Without waiting, he walked straight to the gym and burst through the doors. The inside of the gym looked as if it had been carved from rock. The walls and ceiling resembled a cave and a few gym members milled about. The gym leaders arena was located at the rear of the cave, on a raised platform of rock. Roark stood at the base, beside a steep slope, waiting for him.

"Alright let's battle!" Koa shouted as he approached.

"Are you certain you're prepared? I can wait as long as-"

"I'm ready. I want this badge."

Roark gave a nod and led him up the slope, effortlessly scaling the steep incline. Koa jogged after him. He slipped once, but regained his balance and continued.

Finally, he stood at the top. A large arena stretched out before him, Roark at the far end. Another man in miners' clothing stood to the side. The referee, Koa guessed. The miner spoke up. "This will be a one on one match! Koamaru Averon of Canalave vs Roark of Oreburgh! The challenger is free to use up to six pokemon, the defender will use three. Substitutions are allowed. Please choose your pokemon."

Koa pushed away a flicker of fear. Three pokemon? He could have sworn Roark used to use only two. And Hazard was weak to rock types. And ground. He swallowed and took a breath. There was no going back now. Besides, Roark was regarded as the first in the gym circuit. Koa felt sure he could handle him.

"Let's show them how it's done! Go Hazard!" Hazard sprang from his shoulder and hissed in challenge. Koa swore he saw Roark quirk an eyebrow at the choice.

"Boulder, show them how tough we are." Roark tossed out a pokeball, sending out a Geodude.

The referee stepped over to button on the wall and pressed it. A glowing barrier flashed around the open side of the arena then faded. Koa recognized it as one of the safety measures implemented to prevent heated battles from damaging gyms. The barrier blocked any kind of stray energy, while still allowing free movement.

"Battle, begin!" The referee called.

Roark crossed his arms. "First move is yours, Koa."

Koa stared at his opponent. This Geodude looked much tougher than the ones he had fought at Oreburgh Gate. But it couldn't be much harder, right? Against those Geodude, a few double effective Absorb attacks were all he needed.

"Hazard, use Absorb!"

"Dig!"

Before Hazard could make a move, Geodude disappeared underground. Hazard froze in confusion and panic.

"Underneath-" Koa realized what was happening too late.

Geodude erupted from under Hazard, launching him into the air with his fist. Hazard squealed as he fell.

"Rock Throw!" Geodude began to materialize a large rock in front of it.

Koa stared, his mind whirling as he tried to think of a counter. A moment later, Geodude hurled the rock. It smashed into Hazard, sending him flying into the barrier. He fell to the ground with an unceremonious thump. Slowly, Hazard got to his feet. He was battered and worn, and Koa guessed he could only take one more hit.

"String Shot!"

Hazard gathered his strength, then rapidly fired a blast of sticky webbing, binding Geodude tight.

"Now use Absorb!"

Hazard's eyes glowed red, and tendrils of energy began to flow from Geodude to him.

"Break free and use Rock Throw!" In a surprising display of strength, Geodude tore through its bindings. It looked weakened but clearly could still go on. A large rock materialized in front of it.

"Dodge!" Koa cried.

The warning came too late, however, and the rock crashed into Hazard, sending him flying back. The super-effective attack proved too much for the small bug, and he collapsed.

The referee gestured towards Roark. "Joltik is unable to battle! Roark wins the first round."

Koa's shoulders drooped as he returned Hazard. It was over already. He was about to turn and leave when he remembered. He still had one more pokeball. With a grimace, he took out Zubat.

"Go Zubat," he said, unenthusiastically.

Zubat emerged in a flash of white light and fluttered about the field, looking confused.

"Seriously?" Roark called. "A Zubat? Now you really don't stand a chance."

"We'll see," he muttered angrily. His anger boiled over, and he wished he could charge across the field and fight Roark himself for the badge. He'd probably have better odds, too.

"Boulder, Rock throw!"

It hurled the rock straight at Zubat. Koa stared at Zubat, unable to muster the drive to give him a command.

"Dodge," he called at the last moment.

At the last second, Zubat whirled out of the way, only getting his wing grazed. Koa felt torn between anger and apathy. He didn't believe it was possible to win with Zubat, but he felt angry that he hadn't even beaten Roark's first pokemon.

"Wing attack?" Koa realized he still didn't know all of Zubat's moves. Nor did he particularly care.

Zubat's wings glowed and he dived with surprising speed, striking a solid blow on Geodude. It slid back, grunting in surprise. Roark quirked his eyebrow but remained silent.

"Dig," Roark said, his voice confident.

"Absorb," Koa said, after a moment's hesitation. He remembered seeing a Zubat in a cave use it once. Hopefully, his Zubat knew it.

Zubat opened his jaws wide. Red energy emerged, drawing out the Geodude's energy. With a practiced roll, Geodude shook free of the attack and dived underground. Zubat fluttered above the hole uncertainly, his gaze flitting between his trainer and the hole.

A second later, Geodude erupted from the ground behind Zubat. Zubat's wings glowed as Geodude raised its fist. The two moves collided in the air, creating an explosion of smoke and wind. When the dust had settled, Geodude lay fainted. Zubat looked injured but was still airborne.

Koa's eyes widened. He'd expected Zubat to faint after one hit.

The referee's voice echoed through the arena. "Geodude is unable to battle. Koamaru wins the second match."

Roark folded his arms and nodded. "Not bad, Koa. But you'll need a lot more than that to beat my next pokemon!" He selected a pokeball from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the field.

A massive, towering Onix exploded onto the field, roaring its dominance.

Koa covered his ears, fear trickling into his heart.

Roark gestured dramatically to the hulking beast. "Rocky, use Screech!"

A deafening, high pitched cry rang across the battlefield. Zubat crashed to the ground, squealing in distress.

"Rock Throw!"

"Dodge, Zubat!" Koa yelled, his ears still ringing. Either Zubat hadn't heard or chose to ignore him. Either way, the fight was over moments later when Onix's boulder smashed into him. With a sigh, he recalled Zubat. "Unbelievable..." he muttered under his breath.

The referee raised his hand. "The match is over. Gym leader Roark is the winner!"

Roark returned Onix, then crossed the field to Koa. "You started strong, but you can't just rely on a single pokemon. Your Joltik wasn't anywhere near strong enough or tough enough to handle multiple pokemon in a row. Especially at a disadvantage. And your Zubat was-"

"I know!" Koa snapped. "Look, clearly, I made a mistake. No need to rub it in."

"I only-"

"Just stop. Hazard and Zubat need rest. And I have other things to do than stand around here all day getting lectured." Without waiting for a response, he turned and stormed away.

As he exited the gym, guilt consumed him. Roark had always been a friend to him and Blake. Still, he didn't need to hear all the ways that he failed. All he'd asked for was help reviving his fossil. So what if he didn't have any badges? That didn't mean he could tame a Tyrunt. For a moment, he considered sneaking into the museum and doing it himself, before dismissing the thought. No need to become a criminal. _Not yet anyway,_ he thought jokingly.

After healing his pokemon quickly at the Pokemon center, he stocked up on supplies, then found a quiet spot near the edge of town. He needed to figure out where to go next. Taking out his two pokeballs, he sent out Hazard and Zubat. Hazard gave him an apologetic chirp and nuzzled his ankle.

Koa chuckled and stroked his fuzzy body. "It's alright buddy. You did your best. I should have trained you better before fighting Roark, especially since you were at a disadvantage. And I should have researched him. I didn't realize he had three pokemon." He mentally cursed himself for not looking up Roark's third pokemon while he was at the Pokemon Center. Oh well, he could do that later.

Hazard chittered and scurried up his arm, nuzzling into his neck. With that settled, Koa whirled on Zubat, who had perched on a rock nearby.

"You! I didn't even want you on my team. And today's battle proved you don't have what it takes. It's my fault for not getting rid of you sooner. I'm taking you back to the pokemon center and releasing you." Even as he spoke the words, a pang of guilt flickered through him. He'd thrown Zubat into a battle he was utterly unprepared for.

Zubat chittered in alarm and fluttered in circles. Koa tried to brush him away, but he remained undeterred.

Koa groaned and reached for Zubat's pokeball. Zubat screeched in alarm dived into the pokeball, knocking it out of his hand. "What the heck!" Koa yelped. He gave a resigned sigh. "Look, Zubat. I'm sorry." Zubat stopped flitting about and hovered in front of Koa.

"I never should have even caught you in the first place. And I definitely shouldn't have thrown you into that battle. You weren't ready and I didn't even try to help you. But... you're not part of my plan, so you can't be on my team."

A jolt of electricity shot through his body, making his fingers tingle. "Ow!" He looked down at his shoulder to see Hazard glaring at him. Realizing his words, Koa tentatively patted him. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean you. Besides, you still fit into the Plan, sort of."

Hazard's fur fluffed up and he continued to glare at Koa. Koa withdrew his hand and sighed, looking at Zubat again.

"Okay, fine. I'm not catching a Starly until after I get Tyrunt, so you can stay for now."

Zubat screeched happily.

"But, as soon as I do, I'm releasing you. Or sending you to stay with Professor Rowan. Got it?"

Zubat shrieked and did a loop, then landed on his head. Hazard buzzed with annoyance from his shoulder, clearly not fully satisfied with the decision. Koa did his best to ignore him. The Zubat had pluck, sure. But Zubat just wasn't a good pokemon. Starly was naturally strong and became even more of a powerhouse when it reached its final form. He sighed inwardly.

"Well, the next step is Eterna City." He paused for a moment, contemplating. The fastest route would have been going north and taking the Bike Path. Unfortunately, the Bike Path required a bike, which he did not have. That left one other option. Backtracking to Jubilife, traveling north to Floaroma City, then continuing north through Eterna forest. The trip was at least a week, probably more, since Eterna Forest was huge, and difficult to navigate. Oh well, at least he could get in some good training for Hazard. His route featured plenty of weak pokemon, as well as some water types.

* * *

Tall grass tickled Koa's legs as he followed Route 204 north. With every inhale of breath, he could smell a faint sweet scent of flowers, carried on the southern breeze. The trees all around had been cleared to make a straight forward grassy path. Small ponds dotted the area, giving the route a calming feel. He'd been traveling for the better part of a day and a half, and in the distance, he could just make out the cliff face that signified the start of Ravaged Path. The quickest route to Floaroma town. The walk had been pleasant, but prosperous as well. A few weak Starly even gave him the chance to train Hazard a bit.

As he waded through a patch of grass towards the entrance to Ravaged Path, a spot to his left rustled. A brown furry pokemon emerged, followed by a young girl.

"Hey there!" she called, waving at him. "Wanna battle?"

Koa sized her and her Bidoof up. "Sure!" he replied.

Hazard could use the chance to train against something that he didn't have a super-effective attack against.

Koa grinned and took out Hazard's pokeball. "Go Hazard!"

Hazard emerged onto the path with an excited chirp. He and the Bidoof locked gazes for a few seconds.

"Start with String Shot and immobilize it!" Koa called.

Hazard launched the blast of sticky webbing straight for Bidoof.

"Dodge, Bidoof," her trainer called. Her Bidoof leaped backward, displaying unexpected agility.

Fortunately, Koa had practiced with Hazard's String Shot, improving its strength and distance. The web extended and wrapped around Bidoof, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Electroweb!"

The girl said something Koa didn't catch.

As Hazard charged the attack, Bidoof began to spin rapidly in place. Koa quickly recognized the attack as Rollout.

"Launch Electroweb now!" he called.

Bidoof shot forward with surprising speed, just as Hazard released Electroweb. The two attacks collided, Bidoof spinning and pressing against the Electroweb for a moment. There was a small explosion and Bidoof was sent flying back.

Koa grinned. Electroweb hadn't done too much damage, but Hazard remained undamaged. His attacks were getting stronger.

"Bug Bite."

"Defense Curl! Block it."

Hazard's pincers glowed white, growing slightly longer. Then he charged at Bidoof.

Bidoof's eyes widened. It squeaked in terror then quickly curled into a ball, its fur glowing with a faint metallic sheen.

Hazard's pincers clamped onto it, but Koa could see that the attack did little damage, thanks to Bidoof's Defense Curl.

But Defense Curl wouldn't protect against everything. "Now, Electroweb!"

Hazard quickly shot a blast of electric energy, covering Bidoof in a web of crackling electricity.

It squealed in pain, then fell limp. The web faded, leaving the Bidoof unconscious.

"Nice job, Hazard!" Hazard chirped happily and discharged a few sparks triumphantly.

Bidoof trainer returned it, then nodded. "Your Joltik is pretty impressive. Here, a little reward from Bidoof and I."

To his surprise, she handed him a few poke.

Koa accepted it, then bid the trainer farewell. After she had gone, he took out the battery pack he'd bought in Jubilife, allowing Hazard to recharge himself. The device had cost him a pretty penny, but it was worth it.

"Alright, take a good rest. We'll be at Ravaged Path soon, and I want you ready to battle." He took out Hazard's pokeball and returned him. Standing up, he continued down the path. As he walked, he spotted a few trainers, some having battles or training, but didn't challenge them. He to save Hazard for Ravaged Path, after all.

Koa pressed on, emerging from the grass at the entrance to Ravaged Path. He strode inside, the light behind him fading. The main area of Ravaged Path was fairly straightforward. A staircase sloped steeply upwards to a path that curved to the right, emerging on the top of the cliff. Unlike Ore cave, which had yet to be fully mapped, thanks to Onix's and such, Ravaged Path was no more than a small cave with an underground lake. Just as he ascended the stairs, a Geodude leaped from a ledge above, barring their path. A grin spread across Koa's face. _Perfect_. Training time.

As it turned out, Hazard was able to take out the Geodude fairly easily. Using a combination of String Shot and Absorb, he wore it down rather quickly. From there, it was simple to finish it with Bug Bite.

Despite how easy the battle was, it did give him some confidence for his eventual rematch against Roark. In the back of his mind, he was already trying to figure out a strategy to beat him. Of course, it would be a cinch once he caught his Tyrogue. They were known to hang outside Eterna, and he planned to catch one after fighting Gardenia. Within the hour, he exited the cave to the upper half of Route 204.

From here he knew it was a fairly straight shot, past some trees and through some patches of overgrown grass. At the pace he kept, he figured he could make it to Floaroma by tomorrow morning. He only saw a few other people along the route, which didn't surprise him. Floarama wasn't a very large town, so there weren't many travelers. Once the sun started to set, he made camp for the night. Hazard seemed content to remain in his pokeball, so he let Zubat out to stretch his wings.

The next morning, he awoke to a strange weight on his chest. Blinking his eyes, he opened them to see Zubat nestled against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Or at least, he assumed he was sleeping. Zubat's lack of eyes made it hard to tell. Watching it, he almost pitied the poor creature. After several moments, he sat up slowly. Zubat gave a soft squeak and fluttered into the air, shaking its head. "Time to go, buddy." Zubat screeched excitedly and began to fly about. He seemed so happy. Koa decided to let it stay outside its pokeball. Floaroma town was close anyway, so he wouldn't be flying far. He packed up camp, then released Hazard to travel on his shoulder.

A few hours later, he spotted Floarama's infamous wooden arches, which had been built only a few years ago. They marked the entrances to the town and added to the flowery, bright feeling of everything.

As he passed under the arch and into Floaroma town, he was assaulted by a mix of earthy and flowery scents. Floaroma town consisted of groups of small, quaint cottages with large fenced-in gardens all around. Just inside the town walls, to his right, was the Pokemon Center, and just north of that, the Pokemart. Directly beside the Pokemart, he saw the town's most well-known attraction. The Pick-a-Peck of Flowers shop.

Hazard scuttled off his shoulder towards the shop, eyes gleaming eagerly.

"Man I guess you guys must be pretty hungry," Koa mused. He'd run out of fresh berries not long ago. Now would be the perfect time to stock up.

Hazard trotted ahead, up to the flower shop. A young lady who was tending a berry plant noticed him.

"Hello there!" she said cheerfully. Her hand shot out as she tried to pet him. Hazard chittered in alarm, his fur fluffing, and nipped her. "Ouch! What was that for?" She shook her hand and frowned.

Koa hurried over to the woman. She shot him a glare. "Is this your Joltik?"

"Yeah-"

"Well you should teach that thing some manners! What a beast."

Koa clenched his fists. "Maybe you shouldn't touch other people's pokemon!"

"Hmph. Just keep that thing away from me. I don't want it trampling my plants."

Hazard shot her an angry glare as he returned to his perch on Koa's shoulder. Koa glared at her back, wondering how a Pokemon as tiny as Joltik could possibly trample anything.

"Don't worry Hazard. You're not a beast, and your manners are fine," he murmured. He stepped inside the shop, a bell above the door chiming as he walked in. Zubat darted inside after him, then landed on his head. He sighed, not bothering to shoo it away.

"Hello, welcome to Pick a Peck of Flowers!" A young woman behind the counter greeted him cheerfully. A Roserade stood beside her, watching them. "Can I help you?"

"Well I want to get some berries for my pokemon," Koa said. His voice trailed as he stared at a sign behind the lady, detailing the different berries they carried. He realized he had no idea what kind of berries his Pokemon liked. Most Pokemon would eat Oran berries, but they usually had a favorite as well.

"Is it for that adorable little Joltik?" the woman asked. "And Zubat I assume?"

Koa nodded.

The lady smiled. "A Zubat? I'd definitely go for a Pecha berry. They usually love sweet things. As for the little guy..." She tilted her head and tapped her chin. "You look like you'd like something spicy, wouldn't you?" she cooed.

"Rosy, bring some Pecha berries and Tamato berries please."

Koa suddenly remembered the honey tree where he first found Zubat. "Actually, can you add a jar of honey as well? I think my Zubat acquired a taste for the stuff."

At the mention of Honey, Zubat perked up and shrieked happily.

The Roserade nodded and disappeared into the back of the shop. A few moments later, she returned with three packages balanced expertly in its hands. She placed them on the counter. One contained a few Pecha Berries, the second Tomato berries, the final one a jar of honey.

"200 Poke!" The saleswoman said.

Koa dished out the money, then purchased some sandwiches for himself from a nearby cafe. Then he led his pokemon to some picnic tables near the flower meadows where he sat down to enjoy his meal. As soon as he opened the jar of honey, Zubat screeched and attacked it voraciously. Koa laughed at the display, watching as the little Zubat practically buried his head inside the jar. Hazard made a strange noise he could only assume was some kind of laugh. Zubat was rather cute, he supposed. He would almost be sad to see it go. Almost. Shaking his head, he set to enjoying his own lunch.

After he finished eating, and his Pokemon finished their meals, he headed for the west gate, towards Route 205. If he continued west, he could reach the famed Valley Windworks. Valley Windworks was only an hour or so outside town, making it a suitable place for training. He planned to train there a bit, before heading north for Eterna Forest.

Once he reached the Windworks, he paused to take stock of the area. A wide open grassy expanse spread out before him, with a paved road leading to the gates of the actual Windworks plant. In the distance, Windworks river wove around the factory before flowing back to the west. Suddenly, Zubat gave an ecstatic screech, launching himself off his head. He flew straight towards a small golden leafed tree on the side of the road. He latched onto the bark and began licking it delightedly. Koa rolled his eyes. Well, as long as Zubat was distracted with his honey, he could work on Hazard some more.

Koa singled out several small rocks scattered in the area. "Alright Hazard, let's keep working on your electricity. Rapid-fire Electroweb on those rocks."

Hazard sprang off his shoulder and began launching Electrowebs at the rocks. At first, it could barely last five minutes without a recharge. Koa continued working with him for the next hour however, only stopping to allow him to recharge. According to the Pokedex, by discharging all their electricity and then recharging, they could slowly expand their storage capacity. Pretty soon, Hazard was able to last longer and longer without a recharge. Koa guessed he could go at least fifteen minutes. That would be more than enough to last in a battle against Roark.

Feeling satisfied, he let Hazard rest for awhile. In the distance, he saw Zubat flying about, dipping and diving through the sky. As he watched, he couldn't help but marvel at how well the Zubat had adapted to sunlight. He supposed Zubat had gotten used to it from its time pursuing honey trees.

After a good rest, he called Zubat over. He shrieked happily and landed on Koa's head again. Koa held back a sigh and started walking towards Route 205. It occurred to him he was beginning to grow used to the Zubat's presence.

The walk to Eterna forest was nearly two days from where he was, but he was looking forward to it. Route 205 was a simple route. The first bit consisted of a beautiful flowered meadow, shifting into grassy plains and small canyons. He traveled in relative peace for several hours. He battled a few trainers with Hazard and won most of them. That evening, he made camp at a spot where the canyon split, and the land met the bank of Windworks River.

As usual, he set out early next morning. He hoped to make it to the edge of Eterna by nightfall. According to the maps he'd studied, there was a small cabin just outside the boundary of the forest. It served as a rest stop for weary trainers. If he could reach it, he could rest there and get a solid start on Eterna Forest tomorrow morning.

He hadn't been walking long before he spied a young boy in a purple tunic. The boy was instructing his Meditite to attack a tree. The Meditite would summon an attack, then strike the tree.

As Koa approached, the boy stopped and whirled to face him. His eyes darted to Zubat before breaking out into mocking laughter. His Meditite stopped training to mimic him.

Koa clenched his fists and strode up to the boy, stopping less than a foot away. "What's so funny?"

The boy pointed and laughed again. "A Zubat! How pathetic indeed, to use such a weak pokemon. The-"

Koa punched him in the face. "No one calls my pokemon weak!"

Zubat screeched at the boy, who crawled so his feet, a hand clamped to his nose. "How dare you attack me in such a manner?"

"How dare you talk to my pokemon like that?" Even though he didn't intend to keep Zubat, he wouldn't put up with anyone insulting his pokemon either. "How about your Meditite vs my Joltik? I'll show you what power looks like."

The boy laughed. "No way! Your Joltik looks almost as pathetic as your Zubat. Almost. It doesn't prove a thing unless your sad little Zubat can beat my Meditite." The Meditite grinned cockily and smirked at him.

Koa balked. He highly doubted Zubat stood a chance against the Meditite. Hazard could handle it. But Zubat was weak and inexperienced. Still, his pride (and Zubat) had been challenged. If he backed out now, he would be a coward. "Fine," he growled. "What's your name?"

"Kody," the boy replied arrogantly. "With a 'K'. Meditite and I are going to become the greatest Psychics ever."

Koa rolled his eyes. "Alright Zubat, get ready to fight."

Zubat launched himself off Koa's head and took up a battle stance, hovering a few feet above the ground.

Koa glared at the boy. "If I win, you admit that my Zubat is awesome. And give me, say, 200 poke."

"What if I win?" Kody demanded.

"You get the satisfaction of knowing you're right. And 200 poke."

The boy mused for a moment before nodding. "Alright fine. I'll show you just what a mistake you made with a weakling like that. Go Sai!" Meditite hopped forwards took up a fighting stance.

"I'll give you first move," Koa said, smirking.

"Your loss. Sai, use Confusion." A wave of blue energy surged towards Zubat.

"Confuse it," Zubat opened its jaws, firing a nearly invisible soundwave at Meditite. It struck Meditite, who began to teeter.

"Wing attack!" Zubat dived down and struck Meditite, knocking it back.

"Come Sai, let us finish off this foolish Zubat! Use Hidden Power."

Sai began to charge a ball of energy, but his concentration slipped and it exploded, knocking him into a tree. Zubat dived down and struck him again with Wing Attack. Sai yelped and slumped to the ground.

"Finish him!" Koa cried. Could he actually get lucky and win this?

"Counter with Psyshock." Sai shook his head, clearing it, then launched a glowing bluish orb.

Koa didn't even have time to process what was happening, and neither did Zubat. The attack knocked him out of the air, and he crashed to the ground, stunned.

"One more time Sai." The second Psyshock hit Zubat, sending up a cloud of dust from the force of the impact.

"Zubat no!"

Zubat gave a groan and tried to stand.

"See! Just as I predicted, your Zubat is weak." The boy smirked and Sai gave a taunting cry. As much as he wanted to, Koa couldn't bring himself to make a retort. Kody was right.

Zubat made one last attempt to stand. To Koa's surprise, he let out a defiant shriek and charged Meditite with Wing Attack.

Kody remained unfazed. "Confusion, slow it down."

Meditite's eyes glowed blue, and a blue glow surrounded Zubat. Zubat briefly halted midair before being slammed unceremoniously into the ground, unconscious.

Koa's shoulder's sagged. He returned Zubat, then paid out the money he owed.

"Ha! See, I was right," Kody gloated. "Zubat is pathetic." He strutted off, his Meditite floating after him.

Once he had gone, Koa released Zubat again. He gave it a potion to restore it, then sat back and sighed. Zubat fluttered to life and stood up awkwardly. He squeaked sadly and ducked his head, almost as if he was ashamed. Koa stroked his furry blue head thoughtfully.

Zubat had lost, unsurprisingly. What did surprise him was that he should have fainted much earlier, after the first Psyshock. The fact that he survived the second shocked Koa even more. And then... he reflected on the battle, how Zubat bravely tried to keep fighting anyway. Even when he was exhausted. Despite how he'd rejected Zubat constantly, he had clearly put everything he had into the battle. Another thought occurred to him, one he'd tried to avoid thinking about. Technically, _Zubat_ was his starter. Not Joltik. It was the first pokemon he acquired after becoming a licensed trainer.

Confusion brewed inside him. His head said not to keep Zubat, regardless of what it had done. Plenty of books he read mentioned how flighty and unpredictable they were. How they were a weak species, hard to train. Yet his heart said otherwise. Even after he'd gotten angry at Zubat after their loss to Roark, it had persisted. For _him._

"Oh Zubat, I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I've been an awful trainer to you. You fought so hard for me and I didn't fight for you."

Zubat perked up slightly, lifting his head as if staring straight at Koa.

Hazard chirped encouragingly from his shoulder.

"This whole time I've been thinking what a terrible pokemon you are, but I'm the one who's terrible. I should have been training you to bring out your strength. A good trainer works with his pokemon, no matter what." Koa took a deep breath. "Can you forgive me, Zubat?"

Without hesitation, Zubat shrieked happily. He flew into the air, doing a little loop before landing on Koa's head.

Koa laughed and patted him, grinning from ear to ear. "Now that that's settled, how about a nickname?"

Zubat squeaked amiably.

"Hmmm... let's see. Flutter? No, that's dumb. Dracula? Too cliche. How about...Echo?"

Zubat gave a delighted screech and nuzzled against his cheek.

"Echo it is then." He glanced happily between his two pokemon-no, partners. A surge of pride flowed through him. They weren't part of the Plan, but they were good. Besides, there were still 4 more slots on his Plan. It just needed a bit of adjusting. "Now, it's time for some hardcore training! Roark is too tough to beat right now, but Gardenia is a grass-type gym leader. The two of you should be able to handle her pretty easily." The only obstacle standing in his way now was Eterna Forest.

* * *

**Hazard (Male Joltik) - Electroweb, Bug Bite, String Shot, Absorb**

**Echo (Male Zubat) - Supersonic, Absorb, Bite, Wing Attack**

**And there's chapter 3! Koa has suffered a humiliating defeat, though it is due to his own poor choices. But he has learned a valuable lesson about being a trainer. Next up is the Eterna gym. Will he put his lessons to good use?**

**Thank you for reading, hope everyone enjoyed it. As usual, read, review and comment please!**


	4. Every Roserade has its Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koa faces his first proper gym battle in Eterna City. Will he overcome this challenge?

  * **Hazard (Male Joltik){Ability: Compound eyes} - Bug Bite, Electroweb, String Shot, Absorb**


  * Echo (Male Zubat) {Ability: Inner Focus} - Supersonic, Absorb, Bite, Wing Attack



  
  
  


_ Zubat, the Bat Pokemon. Even though it has no eyes, it can sense obstacles using ultrasonic waves it emits from its mouth. This Zubat is male and knows the moves Supersonic, Bite, Absorb, and Wing Attack. _

He’d stopped to rest for the evening near a place known as the Wayfarer’s Cabin, and took the time to properly see Echo’s moveset. Once the Pokedex finished relaying the moves, he had Echo demonstrate each one. He was fairly impressed - Echo had a solid handle on all his moves.

Now he was eager to begin training. The plentiful bug pokemon that lived in the forest would be perfect training for Zubat. For now, however, he decided to settle for working on teaching it Confuse Ray. It worked on the same principle as Supersonic, but was much more potent and accurate.

To his surprise, developing the Confuse Ray technique proved easy. After a solid couple hours of practice, Echo managed to change his Supersonic into the concentrated golden orbs of a Confuse Ray. Another half hour of practice, and Echo had mastered the attack fairly well, able to hit targets from a good distance away. Satisfied, Koa turned in for the night.

Wayfarer’s Cabin, a large cabin built at the edge of Eterna Forest, was a place where trainers and pokemon could rest briefly. A tall wooden fence surrounded the cabin, and an Arcanine sat at the gate, watching his surroundings intently. It acknowledged him with a bark as he approached, the moved from in front of the gate. Koa pet him gently, scratching behind his ears before going into the cabin. 

The cabin looked empty, though a sign near the door instructed weary visitors to help themselves to food in the cabin, or to take a quick nap in the beds. Koa took a breath and sighed happily. It had been a few days since he slept in a proper bed. Once Echo and Hazard made themselves comfortable, Koa took a shower then made himself comfortable in one of the beds.

xXx

Koa stood in front of Eterna Forest, gazing into its murky depths. He’d read a lot about the forest. Long ago, woodcutters had carved a path through the midst of the forest. They had also attempted to create paths through the rest of the woods, but were stopped by hordes of wild pokemon and eventually gave up. The first path became frequently used by travelers, but he also knew that every book about this place warned against straying too deep. Dangerous pokemon lurked there, pokemon who would not hesitate to attack a human, or another pokemon. After the incident with the Golbat, he had no desire to test that. Besides, he was more interested in caves than forests.

With a glance at his two companions, he started into the forest. The outside sounds faded, replaced by the distant humming of bugs and gentle chirping of bird pokemon. Thick shade enveloped him, cloaking the forest in a cool, eerie stillness. He moseyed through the forest, taking in the sights as he walked. He spotted a few other people, some young bug catchers and a few junior pokemon scouts.

The first day or so of his trip through the forest remained uneventful. Echo and Hazard both got in some excellent training against the weaker bug pokemon. Echo had a bit of difficulty with a Misdreavus, but soon triumphed thanks to his powerful Bite attack.

The third day, however, proved more interesting. Not too long after he set out in the morning, a girl burst out of the brush. “Hey! You’re the kid who lost to my brother, right?”

Koa stared at her, puzzled. “What?” She wore a set of distinct purple clothes and had familiar dark gray hair.

“My brother, Kody. We come to Route 205 and Eterna Forest to train. Has a Meditite, about yay tall?” she continued, gesturing.

Koa scowled and nodded, recalling his defeat at the hands of Meditite. The memory of the loss still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Then I challenge you to a battle! I need to know if you’re actually weak, or my brother’s just slightly stronger than you. Come on out Psy!” Rachel tossed a pokeball, and a Psyduck emerged. She grinned at him. “Name’s Rachel by the way.”

Koa frowned. He was in no particular mood to face anyone related to Kody. Still, at least she wasn’t as rude as him.

He reached back, patting Echo, who found a new perch on his shoulder. “Want to give it a shot, Echo?” 

Echo shrieked and fluttered onto the battlefield. 

Rachel eyed the Zubat skeptically. “How about we make things even more interesting. I’ll wager 500 Poke I can win. Winner takes all.” 

Koa grinned. “Sounds like an extra 500 Poke in my pocket. I accept.”

“Psy, Water gun!” The Psy blasted a shot of water, knocking Echo out of the air. He shook his head, catching himself midair and recovering quickly.

“Now tackle it!”

“Quick, Bite!” Koa called out. The Psyduck seemed well trained, but Koa had a feeling it wasn’t as tough as his Zubat.

As Psyduck approached, Echo narrowly dodged, then sank his jaws into it. Psyduck squealed in terror. A blue glow wrapped around Echo and yanked him away, smashing him into the ground. After a moment, Echo got up, battered but still strong. Their training had paid off. 

Koa grinned. There was still time to land a good hit. “Absorb.”

Red tendrils of energy trickled across the battlefield to Echo, leeching Psyduck’s strength and restoring Echo’s.

“Psy, use Confusion one more time!”

Blue light enveloped Echo. 

Panic filled Koa. He did not want to lose again, and he didn’t want Echo to lose either. As tough as Echo had become, he was still vulnerable to Psychic attacks. “Confuse Ray!” Koa called.

Three glowing golden orbs formed in front of the Zubat’s jaws. He blasted them at Psyduck. They collided, making Psyduck stagger back. It dropped it’s hold on Echo. It’s eyes flickered blue, then it hurled itself headfirst into a nearby tree.

“Psy, snap out of it!” Rachel cried.

Koa grinned, feeling pleased. It was time to end this. “Finish it with Wing Attack.” Echo dived at the stunned Psyduck, his wings glowing brightly. He crashed into it, knocking it out cold.

Koa grinned in triumph. The speed at which Echo had knocked Psyduck out meant that Echo had gotten much stronger.

Rachel returned her Psyduck to its pokeball and walked over to him. “Huh. Pretty good. Your pokemon are certainly tough. Clearly you’ve been training since you fought my brother. Not that he’s that good,” she added with a chuckle. “Well, good luck. You’re pretty close to Eterna City. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She waved a final goodbye, before jogging into the forest. After she left, Koa let out a breath of relief. 

“Nice work, Echo!”

Echo shreed happily and did his trademark loop before settling onto Koa’s head. Koa chuckled and stroked Echo’s head. “Alright, get some rest.” He took out Echo’s pokeball, returning him.

For the next few hours Koa traveled in pleasant silence. He was contemplating taking a break for lunch when loud, derisive laughter broke the silence. 

“Hey, still got that loser Zubat?”

Koa whirled towards the voice, his fists clenched, to see Kody. Kody, who’d been standing just a few feet away, flinched back.

Koa relaxed his stance. “How about a rematch?”

“Why, you want to lose again?” Kody smirked, positively dripping arrogance.

Koa shrugged, but said nothing. This time, he was confident he could win. Echo had been working hard, and he was much stronger than last time they’d fought.

“In that case, I am more than happy to oblige.” Kody said. “Go Sai!” A pokeball hovered onto the battlefield, releasing a familiar Meditite. 

Grinning, Koa took out Echo’s pokeball. “Go Echo!” As he tossed out the pokeball, it rattled violently midair, then burst open, spilling out blue light. The light coalesced into the silhouette of Zubat for a second. Suddenly, the light began to glow even brighter. Bright bluish light began to swirl around the form of Zubat..

Koa gasped, barely able to believe his eyes. Echo was evolving! As he continued to watch, the blinding light doubled in size. The silhouette shifted from the small, wiry form of a Zubat to the tall, powerful form of a Golbat. With a final surge of energy, particles of light surged outward, leaving behind an angry looking Golbat. 

Echo let out a deafening screech, making both Koa and Kody cover their ears. He stood, glaring down the Meditite. Meditite shrank back, shaking with fear. Koa couldn’t take his eyes off the new form of his friend. His Zubat had actually evolved! He knew Echo was close, given his relative strength and power, but he had no idea how close.

Kody stood in open mouthed awe before shaking himself, trying to regain his composure. “Doesn’t matter. That thing is still weak, just like its trainer!”

Echo’s glare grew even angrier, if that was possible. Apparently, he wasn’t fond of people mocking his trainer.

“Meditite, use Feint!”

Meditite closed its eyes, focusing. A second later, it appeared behind Echo, its hand glowing white and raised to strike.

“Behind!” Koa shouted. He figured there wasn’t time to finish the entire command, but he trusted Echo to understand.

Echo whirled around, his wings glowing with energy. Wing Attack met Feint, and for a second, the two moves stalemated. Echo screeched and pressed harder. Meditite was thrown back and crashed into a tree. It slowly began to stand, its limbs shaking with exhaustion.

Satisfaction flowed through Koa. Time to end this fight. “Now, Bite.”

Echo’s jaws glowed with energy, his fangs nearly doubling in length. Koa immediately recognized the technique as Bite’s more powerful successor, Crunch. He dived towards Meditite

“Meditite, Confusion,” Kody called.

Meditite struggled to its feet, its eyes glowing blue.

A blue glow surrounded Golbat, halting him in his tracks just inches from Meditite. Echo pressed against the weak psychic attack, his eyes glistening with determination. Meditite began to tremble from exertion.

“Don’t give up, Echo! Show him how hard you’ve been training!”

Echo roared and pressed forward, breaking through the Confusion attack. He sank his fangs into Meditite, nearly swallowing it whole. Meditite cried out in pain, struggling to escape. Echo clamped his jaws tighter, and Meditite fell still.

“Yeah!” Koa shouted. Echo spat out the unconscious Meditite and screeched triumphantly.

Kody stared at Meditite, his gaze distant. Slowly, he pulled out a pokeball and returned it. He stared at the pokeball for a moment, then looked up. “Well, I guess I was wrong. Your Zubat - sorry, Golbat, is impressive. You’ve trained it well.” Kody strode forwards and offered his hand.

Koa examined it for a moment, then shook it. “Thanks.”

As Kody left, Koa couldn’t stop grinning as he stared at Golbat. Gardenia didn’t stand a chance. 

****

Koa heaved a sigh of relief as he finally entered Eterna City. He paused for a brief moment, reveling in the feeling of sunlight on his skin. Then he took off, heading north. There was something here he wanted to see, something he’d only ever seen in tour guides. He’d just rounded a corner and started east, when he spotted it. Two towering metal statues, carved in an elaborate representation of Palkia and Dialga. He stopped in front of the statues, breathless, staring up at them in awe. They loomed over his head, gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Each statue stood at least 30 feet tall, although he privately wondered if the real pokemon were even larger. With some effort, he dragged his eyes away from the statue to read the inscriptions below them. 

The one beneath Dialga read,

_“The creation of DIALGA,_ _  
__The giver of time..._ _  
__In laughter, there is tears..._ _  
__And, likewise it is with time._ _  
__The same time flows on._ _  
__For it is the blessing of DIALGA.”_

While Palkia’s read: _  
__“The birth of PALKIA._ _  
__The creator of parallel dimensions..._ _  
__Alive, yet not alive..._ _  
__Everything drifts in space..._ _  
__To arrive in the same universe._ _  
__It is the blessing of PALKIA.”_

“Cool...” he whispered, stroking the text.

“So you came here to see the statues too?”

A voice behind Koa startled him,causing him to jump. He turned around to see the caped boy from the trainer's license exam. Koa grasped for his name, but he couldn’t recall it. 

“To think that Pokemon themselves hold mastery over the fabric of the universe. Time and Space...” his voice trailed for a moment. “Antimatter.”

Koa perked up. “You mean Giratina?”

The boy tilted his head, his dark hair falling to the side slightly. He quirked an eyebrow at Koa before nodding. “Indeed. Although I am surprised to hear you know of Giratina. Not many do know it seems, and even more are ignorant of the legends.”

Although he didn’t look much older than him, he sounded odd. His voice had some kind of dialect or accent, although not one he’d ever heard. And the way he spoke sounded unusual as well. Not to mention he had a really weird outfit. “The legends are so cool! I know everything about them pretty much. Once I’m strong enough I’m going to find the Spear Pillar.”

At the mention of the name, the boy broke into a chuckle, shaking his head. “Certainly you jest? No trainer has managed to navigate the maze of tunnels within Mt Coronet, nor braved the skies above. If you know the legends, then surely you know that the legends themselves have hidden that place.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to give up. Who are you anyway? I remember you from the license exam, but what are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the same reason as you, I suspect. To visit these statues, and challenge Gardenia, among other things.” He frowned and looked down at his watch. “Alas, I am afraid I have tarried too long. I have business to tend to, as well as preparation for my gym battle.”

“Good luck then, “ Koa said as an afterthought. The boy paused and glanced back at him. 

“I have no need of luck. All I require is the strength of my partners, and our skills.” He strode swiftly away from the platform. Koa watched him go, his eyes narrowed. A moment later, he smacked himself in the head.  _ I forgot to ask his name!  _

The boy seemed unusually mysterious, but he also seemed like he knew a lot about legendaries. Maybe he would run into him later. He jogged back through the city to the pokemon center, where he stopped to get his pokemon a checkup. By the time he was done, he found it was far too late to challenge the gym. Burying his frustration, he settled for a small room in a nearby inn. Going to sleep was too difficult this early in the night, so he stayed up, planning for tomorrow.

Gardenia should be fairly easy, but just in case, he had picked up a trainer's guide from the pokemon center to read up. Supposedly, Gardenia had a Cherubi, Turtwig and Roserade. The Cherubi he wasn’t particularly worried about, and the Turtwig likely wouldn’t be too much trouble, but the Roserade did worry him. It was stronger than the other two. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his Zubat being poisoned. That was one edge up. And Joltik couldn’t be paralzed either. 

Koa rolled over in bed and “Here’s the plan guys. Echo, you finish off Cherubi quickly. Then we try to confuse Turtwig. For Roserade...”

Koa spent the rest of the evening trying to come up with different strategies.

***

As usual, he awoke early next morning and took a short jog before returning to a cafe for breakfast. He set out for the gym immediately. Since Eterna was a larger city, there would no doubt be a fair few challengers, and he wanted to get there before them. As he walked to the gym, he passed by the south gate. A large sign posted beside the exit read “Cycling Path Ahead-Bikes Only!”

He watched enviously as a young woman sped by on her bike, zooming through the exit. Aside from his cousin's bike, he never had his own, since they were so expensive. The Cycle Shop in Eterna was the only bike distributor in all of Sinnoh, and the process wasn’t cheap. He set aside the thoughts as he approached the gym. After Roark, he didn’t intend to lose. 

Outside, the gym looked fairly average. Unlike the rest of Eterna, the gym’s architecture had a distinctly newer feel, and it was painted in shades of green. Taking a quick breath, he stepped inside. A rush of warm, slightly muggy air greeted him.The inside of the gym resembled a giant greenhouse, with rows of trees and various plants growing all about. Although they were not in any specific order, they still seemed very precisely planted. A forested scent hung thickly about, and he took a deeper breath and closed his eyes, the scents reminding him of the woods around Canalave, minus the ocean scent. 

“Hiya! I see you’re enjoying my gym.” 

Koa opened his eyes to see a young woman with short orange hair and a green tunic. Gardenia. She smiled brightly, and her eyes seemed to give off a sparkle. 

“I’m here to challenge you to a battle.”

Gardenia smiled at him, although her pleasant gaze seemed to size him up as well. “Hm. You have a winning aura about you!” She nodded towards another woman tending to a flower patch. “Lavender, meet me by the arena please.” The woman nodded and hurried away, and Koa followed Gardenia. 

They wove through the rows of plants, until they emerged to a wide space bordered by thick, sturdy trees in uniform lines. Bright sunlight filtered from the open ceiling above. They took their places on either end of the battlefield. Lavender emerged from a path between the trees, a Nuzleaf trailing behind her. Gardenia waved in acknowledgement before turning back to Koa.

"So, challenger. What’s your name?"

"Koamaru," he replied.

"Pleased to me you, Koamaru. As is custom, I will use the traditional three pokemon. You are free to use as many as you like."

"All I need is two," Koa said confidently.

Gardenia nodded and continued. "How much would you like to wager on this match?"

Koa paused for a moment. He'd forgotten about the wager rule. Any challenger could choose to wager money on an official challenge. Some gyms would allow anything from a minor 1 poke, to thousands more. Roark tended to be a bit looser with those rules, he knew, especially with friends. His thoughts drifted to the Cycle Shop. Maybe... it was a long shot, but if he won, it would pay off. 

"10,000 Poke." It was basically all he had, so if he lost, he would be broke. But if he won, it would pay off handsomely.

Lavender gasped softly, and Gardenia's eyes widened. "Well, I like your spunk. Are you sure?"

Koa nodded determinedly. "Absolutely."

"10,000 it is then. Lavender, could you go over the official terms please?"

"Certainly, Miss Gardenia. This will be a single battle match. The challenger, Koamaru, will be using two pokemon. The defender, gym leader Gardenia, will use three. The battle will continue until one side is out of usable pokemon. The challenger may substitute, but the defender cannot. The terms of the wager is 10,000 poke, winner takes all. Trainers, send out your starting pokemon.” 

Koa unhooked Echo's pokeball and tossed it out. Almost simultaneously, Gardenia sent out Cherubi.  _ Perfect. _

Lavender raised her arm. "First move belongs to the challenger. Battlers, begin!" A loud chime echoed through the gym.

Echo let out his trademark screech and glared at his opponent. Koa sized up the Cherubi. It was a gym leaders pokemon, which meant it wasn’t a pushover. But with the type advantage, Koa felt fairly sure he could end this battle quickly.

“I’ll let you go first,” Gardenia said.

“Wing Attack!”

Echo wings glowed and he dived straight for Cherubi.

Unfazed, Gardenia gave her order. “Dodge Cherubi!”

Cherubi sprang easily out of the way. Echo whirled, attempting to pursue with Wing Attack. Once again, Cherubi nimbly leapt out of the way. Three more times, Echo dived at it with Wing Attack, only for it to dodge. Koa scowled. He hadn’t expected Cherubi to be this fast.

“Alright Echo, back off!” Echo fluttered backwards, eyeing the Cherubi angrily. Koa knew he needed a new strategy, and fast. Echo was quick, but as a Golbat, he could never compete with Cherubi’s speed. “Echo, return,” he said, finally. Holding out Echo’s pokeball, he returned him.

“Alright, go Hazard!” Grinning, he tossed out Hazard's pokeball. Joltik emerged in a flash of light. He faced down his opponent, his eyes gleaming dangerously. 

Koa took a moment to gather his thoughts. If he could slow Cherubi down, he could win. But the real challenge would be tripping up Cherubi without Gardenia realizing what he was up to. “Start with Electroweb, Hazard.”

Hazard nodded and fired off a blast of electric webbing. It sailed through the air, straight for Cherubi.

“Dodge it again and use Magical Leaf,” Gardenia said. Cherubi leaped to its right, and the web landed harmlessly on the ground, still crackling with electricity. Its leaves glowed bright green and a hurled a flurry of sharp leaves at Hazard.

Koa’s eyes widened. “Fend it off with Bug Bite!” Hazard’s pincers glowed and he began desperately snapping at the leaves as they flew at him. He managed to deflect most of it, but many still struck, battering him slightly.

Now Koa had a plan, however. He spoke calmly “Electroweb to the right.”

Joltik’s eyes gleamed in understanding. He fired an Electroweb, aiming just to the right of Cherubi. As he expected, Cherubi leaped left to dodge.

“Quick, Stringshot!”

As Cherubi leaped left, Joltik fired at the spot, covering the ground in a mess of sticky webbing. Just as Koa expected, Cherubi crashed directly into it. It cried out in shock and distress as it found itself firmly stuck in place.

Gardenia’s eyes widened in shock as she realized what had happened.

“Now, Bug Bite!” Hazard lunged at the trapped Cherubi, sinking his jaws into it. “Keep going, Hazard!”

“Get out with Magical Leaf,” Gardenia called.

Cherubi frantically began launching its leaves at the webbing. Hazard continued to cling to it. A few strands were cut, allowing Cherubi to get free.

“Get that thing off of you with Growth!” Gardenia shouted. Cherubi closed its eyes, its leaves glowing green. After a moment, its body suddenly grew, dislodging Hazard and tossing him a few feet away, unharmed. Cherubi was left panting, clearly exhausted from the super-effective attack.

Koa grinned. “Don’t let up. Electroweb!” Hazard fired off the attack.

“Block with Magical Leaf!” Gardenia cried.

The two attacks collided, but Hazard quickly fired a second Electroweb. The two webs combined, doubling in strength. They overwhelmed the leaves, crashing through them and trapping Cherubi. Electricity flowed through the Cherubi, shocking it mercilessly and knocking it out.

Hazard gave a cry of triumph, and Koa cheered.

The referee raised her hand. “Cherubi is unable to battle. The challenger Koamaru is the victor.”

Gardenia smiled as she returned Cherubi. “I have to admit, that was pretty impressive. A lot of trainers struggle with my Cherubi’s speed. You adapted well.” She took out a second pokeball. “But you have a long way to go. Go Twiggy!” She tossed out the pokeball. With a flash of light, a tough looking Turtwig emerged.

Koa eyed it uncertainly. After Cherubi, he wasn’t sure what to expect from this Turtwig. Hazard looked worn out from the multiple electric attacks however. “Alright, Hazard. Return. Go Echo!”

His Golbat emerged from his pokeball with a screech. He and Turtwig locked gazes. “Alright Echo, up in the air,” Koa said. Echo launched himself into the air, hovering several feet above the battlefield.

“Twiggy, Razor Leaf.” Turtwig’s leaves glowed and it swung its head, launching a volley of leaves up at Echo.

“Block with Wing Attack.” Echo began to strike back, knocking a few of the leaves away. Turtwig hurled a second volley. Several struck Golbat, hitting him back several feet. Koa grimaced. The attack had hurt, even with Golbat’s resistance to grass type.

Gardenia smiled. “Twiggy, use Tackle!” Turtwig sprinted forwards and leaped upwards with unexpected grace. Before Koa could react, Turtwig crashed into Golbat hard, knocking him back. Turtwig landed and cried out a challenge.

Koa scowled. Turtwig’s physical moves were clearly stronger. He needed Echo for Roserade, which meant he needed to end this quickly. “Echo, Wing Attack! Don’t stop.”

Echo dived at Turtwig, wings glowing. He began to swing at it relentlessly. Turtwig gracefully dodged each one. 

“Now Twiggy, retaliate with Bite.” Turtwig opened its jaws wide and leaped for Echo.

“Confuse Ray!”

Gardenia’s eyes widened in a panic, while Koa grinned. Turtwig, already midway through his attack, had no way to dodge. Just as it sank its jaws into Golbat, Golbat blasted it with Confuse Ray. Turtwig let go, falling to the ground rather ungracefully. It slowly got up and began to stagger about.

“Finish it with Wing Attack, Echo.” 

Echo shrieked gleefully and began to pummel Turtwig over and over with his wings. In a few seconds, the battle was over. 

“Turtwig is unable to battle. Koamaru is the winner!”

Gardenia frowned and returned Turtwig. “You’ve got spunk, Koa, I’ll give you that. But it’s not the end yet. Go Roserade!”

A Roserade emerged onto the battlefield in a flash of light. It spun in a circle, dramatically flourishing its flowers.

Koa contemplated carefully. Roserade was the pokemon he was most concerned about. It was her trump card, and stronger than the rest. Echo hadn’t suffered too much damage, but he was hardly fresh either. Maybe Hazard could finish the job.

“Alright Echo, take a rest. Hazard, finish her!” Hazard burst forth, sparks dancing across his fur.

“Stringshot.” Hazard blasted a huge chunk of swirling webbing towards Roserade.

“Weatherball,” Gardenia said confidently. Roserade charged a swirling ball of fire between its hands. It hurled it at the web, burning through it easily. It continued on and smashed into Hazard.

His Joltik cried out in pain as he was knocked back. Slowly, he got to his feet, his sides heaving. Koa gritted his teeth. Joltik couldn’t last much longer after taking a hit like that. But perhaps there was a way to get a hit in before he fainted.

“Do you trust me, Hazard?”

Hazard looked back at him and nodded, his blue eyes sparkling with determination.

“Electroweb.”

Hazard summoned everything he had. The charge took a second longer than usual, and Koa guessed he was running out of charge. No matter, this battle would be over soon. Joltik launched the web across the battlefield, straight towards Roserade.

“Really? That's all you got?” Gardenia called. “Destroy it again with Weatherball.”

Roserade grinned and fired another Weatherball. Koa smiled. Just as he hoped, Gardenia used the same counter. The two attacks collided in midair, creating a small explosion of smoke and light. “Quick Hazard, launch yourself with String Shot.”

Hazard nodded in understanding. He launched a precise string of webbing at a tree behind Roserade, using it to yank himself forward.

“Now Bug Bite!” 

Hazard sailed forwards, pincers glowing. He emerged from the smoke created by the blast from Weatherball and Electroweb, straight for Roserade.

Roserade’s eyes widened in surprise. A split second later, Joltik collided with it, sinking his pincers into Roserade’s body. It cried out in pain.

“Get rid of it with Magical Leaf,” Gardenia called.

Still cringing from the bite, Roserade raised it’s hand, aiming it awkwardly at Joltik, who still clung to its body. Koa knew there was no point trying to dodge now. Joltik could never get away in time, his best bet was inflicting maximum damage. Roserade’s hands glowed, and a volley of leaves shot out, knocking Hazard off. He landed a few feet away, unconscious.

Koa smiled as he returned him. “Nice work, Hazard.” Roserade was panting heavily, and looked fairly worn out. Hazard had done his job. Now Echo could finish it. He tossed out Echo’s pokeball confidently.

Echo emerged, standing on the battlefield and glaring down his opponent. Roserade met his gaze evenly.

Koa locked eyes with Gardenia from across the battlefield. Despite her situation, she still seemed calm. “So you think you have me cornered?”

“Sure seems like it,” Koa replied.

Gardenia chuckled. “Let’s find out! Roserade, Magical Leaf.” Roserade blasted a flurry of leaves straight at Echo.

“Charge and dodge, Echo.” Echo flew forwards, spinning to the side to dodge the flurry of leaves. “Now, Wing Attack!” Golbat wings glowed and he struck Roserade hard, sending it flying. It crashed to the ground, sliding several feet.

“Nice!” Koa pumped his fist. Roserade slowly pushed itself to its feet, its body trembling with the effort. It stood up straighter, and cried out a challenge. Echo shrieked in reply.

“Wing Attack, again,” Koa called. One more hit could end this fight. Echo dived at Roserade.

“Flash!” A bright light exploded from Roserade’s hands, lighting up the entire stadium. Koa shaded his eyes with his hands. It faded after a moment, but the damage was done. Echo fluttered erratically about the stadium, his eyes screwed shut. His movements grew more erratic and he began to spin about in confusion. Koa muttered a curse. This wasn’t good. Echo was panicking.

“Weatherball,” Gardenia called. Roserade charged up a fiery ball and hurled it at Echo.

“Dodge!” Koa cried out in a panic. Echo spiraled awkwardly in the air, but failed to escape the attack. It crashed into him, knocking him into the ground. Golbat shakily stood up, and glanced frantically about.

Gardenia grinned triumphantly. Panic began to grow inside Koa. Echo was panicking, and if he couldn’t see, he couldn’t dodge. He was a sitting Farfetch’d. As Koa stared at his friend, his heart hammering wildly. He’d come so far with him, he couldn’t lose now. Then it struck Koa. A thought so obvious he burst out laughing. Gardenia stared at him in confusion. Koa ignored it, focusing on Golbat. 

He spoke quietly, his tone soothing. In addition to calming Echo, he didn’t want Gardenia to hear him. “Hey Echo. I know you can’t see right now and it’s scary. But remember being a Zubat? You didn’t need to see then. Just relax and listen.”

Echo stopped glancing about, his tiny ears twitching. His body stilled, and when Koa finished speaking, he gave a low shree of acknowledgment. 

“Alright Echo, Confuse Ray,” Koa said softly. He doubted the move would make contact, but it would serve as a good distraction. His eyes still closed, Echo charged a series of golden orbs and launched them at Roserade.

“Magical Leaf, Roserade. Destroy it.” Roserade shot a volley of leaves at orbs, shattering them.

“Crunch!” 

Echo shot forwards, straight at Roserade. 

“Poison Sting,” Gardenia called. Roserade quickly shot a volley of tiny purple needles from its hands.

“Dodge up, then right,” Koa said. 

Echo pumped his wings, lifting him several feet into the sky. Roserade tried to follow the movement with Poison Sting, but Echo whirled right, dodging a second time. And then he was upon her. His jaws opened wide, fangs glowing with a black aura. Roserade gave a single shriek, and was swallowed.

“Spit it up in the air and use Wing Attack!” Echo spat out the battered Roserade, then struck it hard with Wing Attack, sending it flying. It crashed to the ground, finally unconscious. Echo landed and blinked a few times, the effects of Flash finally clearing. Seeing the defeated Roserade, he gave a cry of triumph.

Koa leaped into the air, pumping his fist. “Yeah! You did it Echo.” Echo shrieked again and flew over to him, landing on his shoulders. Koa almost buckled under the weight, but stroked his friend appreciatively.

“Roserade is unable to battle! Koamaru is the victor!” Lavender called.

“What! But... how?” Gardenia cried. “I blinded your pokemon!” As she spoke, she frowned sadly and returned Roserade. She crossed the battlefield to Koa and offered her hand. 

Koa shook it. “That might have worked if you were facing my Joltik, but not Echo. Golbat’s hearing is sick. I realized after you used Flash that he could use his ears just as well as his eyes,” Koa said as he walked.

Gardenia chuckled, then smiled cheerfully. “Of course! I should have thought of that myself. ” She withdrew a gleaming green object from her pocket and handed it to him. The Forest badge. “I might've said it before, but you're really tough! Wasn't it hard for you to raise your Pokémon to be so good? I guess that's a measure of how much you love your Pokémon.” 

“Thanks,” Koa said, a bit uncomfortably. Grinning widely, he accepted the badge.  _ One more to go...  _

“I believe this is yours too.” She paused and turned, picking up a briefcase from Lavender, who had just arrived. She handed it to him, and Koa took it carefully. “That’s your 20,000 poke.”

Koa gave a loud whoop. 

“Be careful.” Gardenia chided, her voice serious. “There have been robberies lately. I don’t recommend traveling with that very far.”

Koa nodded, then practically ran out of the gym, barely able to contain his elation.

***

Half an hour later, he sat in a grassy area at the eastern edge of Eterna City, enjoying lunch with his pokemon, and relishing the new bike he bought. He couldn’t wait to take it to Cycling Road and really test it out. Although he still had one thing to do before leaving. Find a fighting type. He knew this area might have some, and a fighting type would really help against Roark. A grass type could work as well, or even water, but he wanted a fighting type badly. Or rather, he really wanted a Tyrogue. They were diverse and powerful, and any of its three evolutions would make an excellent addition to his team. Of course, they were fairly rare as well, but he was sure he could find one.

Once he finished lunch, he packed up and headed east from Eterna. Route 211 featured canyons and valleys that stretched all the way to Celestic Town. However, he was only interested in the very first stretch, where his Pokedex said Tyrogue could be found. Once he arrived, he released Echo. Echo immediately did a little loop, then perched on Koa’s back, making him stagger. “Alright, Echo. I’m hoping to find a Tyrogue before I face Roark again. Think you can help?” Echo shrieked in agreement and took off. Koa watched him go, then set to exploring himself.

The hours dragged by. The sun dropped lower and lower into the sky until finally, night fell. Koa returned to Eterna, his shoulders sagging. Not a single Tyrogue. He’d seen a few Machop, which Echo defeated with ease, but no Tyrogue. He guessed he’d underestimated their rarity. As he sat in the room he rented for the night, he realized he had a choice to make. He could keep hunting for one, which could take days. Or he could head back to Oreburgh, earn his second badge and get his Tyrunt. He took out his backpack and carefully withdrew the fossil from its special compartment. Stroking its rough surface, he dreamed of the magnificent addition to his team. New resolve filled him.

“I’m coming for you Roark,” he growled.  _ And for you, Tyrunt.  _

  
  


  * **Hazard (Male Joltik){Ability: Compound eyes} - Bug Bite, Electroweb, String Shot, Absorb**


  * Echo (Male Golbat) {Ability: Inner Focus} - Confuse Ray, Absorb, Crunch, Wing Attack



  
  



End file.
